Blood of a Hero
by Killuminated
Summary: "Sometimes destiny chooses us... Whether we like it or not." A young man is pulled from his peaceful village life after seeing visions of war and strife. Seeking answers, he embarks on a journey, one that pulls him into a battle thousands of years in the making. Interpolations of TP, BotW, and Hyrule Warriors. Epic.
1. Peaceful Days

**0 - Prologue**

In the courtyard of a magnificent castle, I sat there with you. We were only children, but you radiated such luminous energy that even though the grass we sat on was so immaculately trimmed, the marble walls of the castle so elegant, all I could look at was you. The pink cowl you wore hid your lustrous blonde hair - only a shade darker than my own - and framed your round blue eyes, the royal pink gown you wore only accentuating your beauty. I was just a boy - an orphan, raised in the forest. Yet you accepted my company, welcomed it, even. I could never forget the feeling of your hand clasped within mine.

In the blink of an eye, you were gone. The warmth of the sun replaced by the cold, relentless winds of a thunderstorm. The castle had become a prison - your prison. I stood at the base of it; in seven years I hadn't seen you, but my body willed itself into traversing the perilous floors of the nightmare that had become your home. I was older and stronger, but hell only awaited for me at the top.

Then, there was the sea, vast and unending. The gentle salt-tipped breeze of the ocean tickled my nostrils. On our massive ship, you seemed different. Headstrong and brash, but brave. Not even the mightiest typhoon nor the tallest wave would collapse your spirit, and I was proud to sail with you until the end. Our destination was not for the faint-hearted - would we even survive when we got there? It didn't matter, because you went headfirst into that adventure, with me alongside you the whole way.

I closed my eyes, and awoke, once again in a castle. Magnificent yes, but something was different about it this time. As my footsteps echoed throughout the deserted cobblestone hallways, I would glance out the windows, seeing nothing but a haze of orange twilight. There was nobody here. Nobody except for you, waiting in a room at the end of that long hallway. You sat alone, a cloak over your figure, solemnly staring out the window as I had earlier. You had nobody, alone in this dark castle with no escape. You shifted, ever so slightly, to look at my figure in the doorway. Your cerulean eyes - before so passionate and full of life - were cold, hard, and calculating. I reached out to you, but you, and the room were in, began to disintegrate into black dust.

I woke up to you calling my name. So early in the morning, yet you would never let me oversleep if it was the last thing I did. You would let yourself into my house and drag me out of bed, making sure I got to class on time. There in our home among the clouds, for the longest time I had taken our peaceful lives together for granted, until it had begun. You were gone again, taken away. What was I to do but chase after you with all the strength I had?

But then we were together again. Although you were a little more stubborn than you've been. We've grown up together, but you always did have trouble trusting me. I followed you like a puppy, not because I wanted to, but because it was my duty. You always carried this flower around, white and blue petals that matched that royal blue top you were required to wear. The flower was named after silence, but it was me who never got to say anything to you before it was too late.

This dream… I can't remember how many times I've seen it. I know what you look like... But I don't even know your name. We are always battling together, you and I, for a unified purpose, something that only we can do. I feel like I know you so well, but I don't even know who you are. Do you know me? Do you have these dreams too?

Who are you?

* * *

**1 - Peaceful Days**

It was a beautiful autumn morning in the village of Ordon. It was a small, modest village of about five hundred or so, hidden among the golden expanses of wheat and straw of the Ordonian prairie. Small as it was, Ordon Village was famous across the realm for their agriculture, namely their wheat and pumpkins, as well as for their goats and milk. The village was something of an oasis amongst the wheat fields, as it was situated next to a large and gentle river that flowed the entire length of the province and beyond, with the addition of a large lake merely a stone's throw away from the village.

The townsfolk were already well into their day, many of the villagers up since the crack of dawn. The farmers had begun their work, the spacious ranch already had their goats grazing on the pasture, and the clattering of footsteps on the cobblestones of the town square echoed between the streets. The village's lone church rang its bell, signifying the true beginning of the day.

A young woman raced through the streets; her short, dark blonde hair flowed behind her as she dodged the various townsfolk going about their day.

"Ilia, be careful!" A middle-aged man holding a large ceramic vase called out as the girl nearly bumped into him.

"Sorry, mister!" She said over her shoulder as she continued running. She wore a simple white dress that cut just above her knees along with a simple pair of leather strap sandals. Ilia, as she was known, was the only daughter of village mayor. On the tail end of her teens, she was beloved by many townsfolk for her warm and bubbly personality, and was good looking to boot.

Up a set of stairs she went, towards a small house at the top. Ilia greeted the villagers that she passed by on the way there, the folk of the neighbourhood quite accustomed to seeing her race up the stairs every morning.

She skipped towards the front door of the house and eagerly knocked, awaiting a response. It only took a moment before she pushed the door open, shaking her head. "Never locks his door…" she muttered, letting herself into the home.

Small, cozy, and lightly furnished, there were only three rooms: a living space with a kitchen, a bedroom, and the bathroom. The bedroom's door was half ajar, and she peeked inside. The curtains on the window inside were shut, so it was rather dim. A young man was sprawled across his bed, covers half lying on the floor. A sheathed sword was propped up against the bedpost.

Ilia took the time to gaze at his sleeping form; it wasn't the most flattering of positions, but the young man was easy on the eyes. He had dark blonde hair, a bit like hers, but it was spiky and messy, never wanting to agree on which way to go. His eyes were sharp, yet gentle, deep cerulean hidden underneath his currently closed eyelids. The most peculiar of his features were his ears - long and pointed, a hallmark of a race of people originating from the nation bordering the Ordona province: Hyrule. At the lobes of his ears were small, light blue earrings.

She walked over to the bedside and began shaking him awake, "Hey, get up."

The young man stirred, before rolling over to face away from her, pulling the covers around him, "Five more minutes…" He mumbled, almost incomprehensible.

"The bell already went off! Come on!" Ilia began shaking his body harder. When it became evident he was not going to rise, she rolled her eyes and threw the curtains open, sunlight blasting into the room. She then took a hold of his blanket with both hands and ripped it off his body, "Link, GET UP NOW!" The force of her pulling the blanket tossed the young man onto the floor, his head colliding with the wood.

A painful groan was heard as he pulled himself up, "The heck was that for?!"

"I am not your servant! You should know how to get yourself up in the morning." She sighed, shaking her head. Ilia began placing the blanket neatly on the bed as Link was gathering his bearings. "Fado already has the goats on the ranch. He needs you there first thing in the morning!"

"Alright, alright, I got it. Just stop yelling." He began stumbling around his room, throwing his pajamas off himself as he looked for a change of clothes, "I'll head over there right now."

"Ugh, can you not change in front of a lady like that?" Ilia remarked, covering her eyes as she began exiting the room.

"Well that's what happens when you waltz into my room like that." He replied, slipping on a pair of light brown trousers. A thick, off-white tunic went over top, and underneath his belt was a wide blue sash. Before stepping out of the room, he grabbed the sword in its sheath and swung it over his shoulder and onto his back. His trusty brown boots awaited for him right next to the door.

Ilia waited for him outside, "You know, I'm getting real tired of having to babysit you every morning."

"You don't have to come by every morning." He remarked, making his way down the long staircase alongside her.

"Well if I don't, then you'll be sleeping in until noon! Fado's real generous letting you work at the ranch." She sighed once again, "You're lucky no one else in town rides as well as you."

"Hey, it took a lot of practice to get that good." Link replied, indignant.

"Epona does all the hard work, having to carry your lazy bum all the time!"

The young man laughed, "That I agree with. She's a fine horse isn't she?"

Ilia crossed her arms, "She is. I've been taking care of her since she was a pony - you better make sure you aren't overworking her, you hear?!"

"I got it, I got it, no sweat. You know she's in good hands."

They made their way through the town, greeting the townsfolk as they walked through the streets. Link, the only son of the town's late blacksmith, was the resident ranch hand at the Ordon village goat ranch. His father had passed away when he was still young, and even then, the man was not Link's real father. Although Ordona was so close to Hyrule, it was very rare to have any Hylians that lived in the province. Link was the only such Hylian in the entire village. His father had found Link as an orphaned infant during a trip to Hyrule's capital, and as he had no wife or children of his own, his father decided to take Link back to Ordona. Little is known about his origin, other than that his name was Link. Truly peculiar, but all he could remember was this small village.

His father was a gentle soul, and was tasked with making most of the tools that villagers needed. The sword that Link carried on his back was one of two weapons his father had ever made. As he was quite young when his father passed away, he only knew about his father from stories the townsfolk had told him. He was apparently a master blacksmith, but refused to create weaponry. They say the other sword he had made was a gift to the Hylian royalty, and it was on that same trip that he had found Link. Regardless, the village deemed that it would be financially acceptable to just import any tools they needed, so they were currently without a town blacksmith.

"Why do you always carry that thing with you, anyway?" Ilia inquired, pointing to the sword on his back.

"Well, it's the only thing my dad left for me," Link replied, shrugging, "I might as well learn how to use it, right?"

"Do you practice with it everyday?"

"Sure do, every evening after the ranch closes down." He began stretching his arms, "I got Fado to help me set up some dummies in the field to swing on. Would be pretty cool to have a swordsman in the village, right?"

Ilia giggled, "Right. But it's not like we ever get any fiends around here. You're better off using that thing to scare crows from the pumpkin fields!"

"True. I'd be the coolest scarecrow ever, huh?" Link did a mock macho pose as they began approaching the ranch in the outskirts of town, to which Ilia couldn't help but laugh.

Indeed, Ordona was a peaceful little province. Very rarely were there fiends, and even rarely were there vagrants. The most they had to deal with were wolves or bears that trickled in from the forests near the border, but they were easily chased off by pitchforks and slingshots.

Ilia followed him through the gates of the ranch, which had a large set of Ordonian goat horns adorning the top. These large goats that were dispersed throughout the vastness of the field were about the size of cattle, and had peculiar horns that joined together in the shape of an O. They were hardy, strong, and a bit stubborn, but generally very docile. The ranch was responsible for most of the village's famous goat milk and cheese that they took great pride in. The stables were also home to a few horses, one if them being Epona, who was Link's main partner for his ranch duties.

"Ah, Link, there ya are!" Called out Fado, who was tending to the horses at the stable. "I was about to die of old age waitin' fer ya to show up."

Fado was, along with his wife, the proprietor of the ranch. He was a built, middle-aged man with a gruff voice. Despite his intimidating appearance, he had a reputation among the townsfolk as being very kind, albeit with a dry sense of humour.

"Sorry, gramps," Link replied, scratching the back of his head, "I guess I slept through the morning bell."

"Ah, save it. When do ya ever not sleep through the bell?" He swung open Epona's gate and with a handful of hay for her to munch on, began getting her saddle set. Link immediately slid over to help, propping his sword onto one of the walls of Epona's stable. "Sorry for makin' ya always go and get him, Ilia. I know ya only come by to see Epona."

Ilia, who had joined them in spoiling the horse, giggled, "It's okay. Someone has to get him in line, right?"

"Hey, you said you were getting tired of it." Link remarked, grunting as he made sure the saddle was secure.

"Even a parent gets tired of having to deal with their kids sometimes." Ilia chided.

Fado gave a barking laugh, "Bwahaha! That may be, but it don't mean ya gotta say it like that!"

Epona, a young mare, was a beautiful thoroughbred. She had a deep chestnut coat, with splashes of white around her hooves. Her mane and tail were both a shimmering white as well. She was the finest horse that the ranch had stabled - strong, reliable, and remarkably fast - but she had a quick temperament and was notorious for refusing to accept any rider that wasn't Link or Ilia. While Epona more or less belonged to Link, she was technically Ilia's, as Fado had given it to her as a gift when it was just a pony. She rarely rode it however, being afraid of the height, and was more than content with just tending to it.

When they were all done spoiling Epona, they guided her out to the field, where Link would go and do their daily warm ups around the ranch together. Ilia would sit near the farmhouse and watch for a bit, before eventually returning back to town to help her father with errands.

During midday, Link would help out with all the farm duties, which included cleaning the stables, milking the goats, and repairing any of the fences. Hard work it was, but honest too; all the manual labour kept Link in great shape, so he wasn't complaining. Fado often sent him home with extra milk or cheese on top of his payment, so he never really worried about going hungry.

As he was orphaned for most of his adolescence, Fado had become something of an uncle. They never confided each other in personal issues or anything of the sort, but the man often took it upon himself to at least watch the boy's well being. After the day's work, he would set up fences in the field for Link and Epona to practice jumping over, and he'd even helped Link make the straw dummies that he'd slash at during dusk. Link was truly grateful for everything Fado had done for him, even if they never showed it to each other.

"Link! Round up the goats, will ya?" Fado called out from the barn, as Link was in the stable scooping up a steaming pile of horse manure. With a grunt he tossed the poop into a wheelbarrow and impaled his pitchfork into the dirt, resting a hand on it before wiping the sweat on his forehead with the other.

He looked up at the sky - the sun was on it's way down. "Sure thing, gramps." Epona was grazing on the field with the other horses. He did a quick whistle and she immediately began walking towards him. "The days sure pass quick when you're busy, huh girl?" He said, giving her an affectionate rub on the neck. She responded with a small whinny. Swiftly, he got up on her saddle and took the reins.

Herding the goats back into the barn was probably the most fun Link could have at work. He and Epona could let loose and just chase the goats around, giving Epona some well needed exercise and Link some well needed exertion.

After about thirty minute or so, all the goats were inside the barn and accounted for.

"Good work kid." Fado said, locking up the barn for the day. "You want me to get the fences set up today?"

Link, still mounted, shook his head, "Nah, I think we're good. We'll do a few rounds of the field before calling it."

"Suit yerself, kid. Just lemme know when you guys are done messin' around." The man retreated to the front steps of the farm house, sparking his pipe as he watched the two practice.

The young man was undoubtedly the best rider in the village. While it was true he had the most practice working on the farm all day, Fado had mentioned offhandedly to Ilia that he had never seen somebody pick up the skill so naturally. Link and Epona were incredibly synced, almost as if they were made for each other.

It wasn't long before the sun had begun to set, so Link decided to get Epona back in her stable. For some reason he felt quite keen on getting to work on the straw dummies near the ranch gate that day, and he made haste getting everything locked up.

He never had anybody teach him how to properly swing a sword. For all he knew, all the strikes and swings he would practice everyday were probably wrong. But when he pulled out that sword from its sheath, the metal ringing ever so faintly, his instincts took over. There were times where it felt like he had done this countless times before. It felt very natural, and not once did he ever feel lost. Maybe it was his father guiding his movements from where he was in the sky.

The sword itself wasn't the most spectacular looking weapon. It was plain; double edged and broad, with a thin fuller running almost the entire length of the light colored steel. The hilt and cross guard were both simple, just a darker steel color. The grip was sturdy, wrapped with a navy fabric, and the pommel was equally as unassuming. However, the sword was perfectly balanced, the edges very sharp. It took minimal effort to be able to swing the weapon, owing to both its lighter weight and balance. In all, it seemed to be designed for easy use and maximal durability.

Overhead swing, wide slash, stab. Parry, riposte. Link would run through the motions his body told him to. He spun around, giving the dummy a vicious spinning strike, before doing a back step and lunging forward with a jump slash. The dummy probably wasn't going to last very long with the amount of abuse he gave it, but it was simple work to get it repaired.

"Wow, so cool!" He heard a voice call from down the road. Ilia was walking up, a basket of groceries in her hand.

Link wiped the sweat from his brow and waved at her, "Back already?"

"Already? It's been the whole day!" She replied, laughing. She fished into her basket and pulled out a small sandwich, "Hungry?"

The young man immediately sheathed his sword and walked over, "You are a godsend."

"Well I noticed you didn't have too much food in the pantry back home. Can't have you dying of starvation." Ilia laughed, "Fado would have to find someone else to run into the ground and I don't think anyone is masochistic enough to be up to that task."

Link grinned as he took a bite of the sandwich, "You mean you'd get lonely without me."

She scoffed, "Oh please. I've got plenty of friends in the village. Unlike you, ya hermit."

"Yeah, I never was really good at meeting people, huh?"

"Uh-huh. A lot of the girls think you're really cute." Ilia pointed out.

"Unsurprising. I am quite the catch." Link replied, nodding sagely as he crossed his arms.

"A dork is more like it," She laughed. "We are of that age though. Father's been pushing me to find a husband for ages."

Link leaned against the fence next to her, "And? Why don't you?"

She hummed, "I dunno. Doesn't feel like there's anybody here for me."

"You're busy too, right? Helping your pops?"

"Yeah. Learning how to manage people and all that political crap." Ilia sighed, "Since I'm his only daughter he's been fully expecting me to succeed him when he retires."

"Quite the shadow you're under." He remarked.

"What about you? Just gonna work the ranch your whole life?" She asked, leaning back on the fence and gazing at the sky.

The sky was a brilliant orange, with swaths of purple underneath the scattered clouds. The sun was slowly making its way beneath the horizon.

Link paused for a bit, before humming, "I've been having these weird dreams lately."

Ilia looked over to him, "What kind of dreams?"

"It's so strange," He began moving his hands animatedly to articulate himself, "This person is always in them, a woman. She looks a little different every time, but for some reason I know it's always her."

"Ugh, one of these dreams?" She said, doing a joke cringe.

"Hear me out. There's always some kind of disaster, some kind of evil, and the situations are always different, but she and I are always there to fight against it." He shook his head, "I don't understand. Lately, it's all I've been able to dream about at night."

"Maybe it's some kind premonition." Ilia offered. She took a second to gaze at him, who was looking at the sky with the sandwich in his hand. His left hand, the one holding the sandwich, had a very faint birthmark on it, right underneath his knuckles. It was hard to make out, but it was strange and triangular. She always remembered him having it, but it seemed to be a little more prominent than it had been before.

"Could be." He paused once again, deep in thought. "I was thinking I might go to Hyrule. To the capital."

Ilia seemed taken aback by this, "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Maybe become a knight or something. Or not. I dunno." Link shook his head, "I can't help but feel like there's something I need to do there."

The young woman could help but furrow her brow, "That's quite the trip you'd be making."

"I wasn't thinking of going right away." He popped the rest of the sandwich into his mouth, "I just thought I'd see what my homeland was like."

"I see. But I guess that does sound exciting!" She put a finger to her chin, "Now that you mention it, you are the only Hylian in the village."

"Well, that isn't really a big deal to me," Link shrugged before making for the gate, "It's not like I don't enjoy the village. Everyone here is great, the weather is great, the food is great, and me, you, and Epona get to mess around everyday. What's not to like?"

Ilia followed him, putting her hands behind her back, "But…?"

He grinned. She knew him too well. "But, like I said. There's something waiting for me out there. I can feel it."

She laughed once again, "Right, right. Just make sure you don't forget about us if you ever decide to go play hero."

"You'll be the first one I mention in my hero speech." Link said, winking.

"The heck's a hero speech? That isn't a real thing!"

They continued their excited banter down the road and all the way home. At the day's end like this, it was always just the two of them. Ilia's father used to mention that the two of them were inseparable as children, and evidently it seemed to stay that way. Until today, it seemed that they would spend their whole lives in that village, basking in the sun, living in that gentle pace. Link never told her about the dreams that he had, and it came as a shock to her that he was contemplating leaving - even if she didn't show it.

She had to admit, it made a lot of sense. Other than herself, her father, and those at the ranch, Link didn't really have anything tying him down in Ordona. She watched his face and his body language as they conversed the way they usually did. He was always cheery and upbeat - that didn't change. But there was definitely something different about him, even if it was very minute. What were those dreams like, she wondered? So vivid and powerful that they would whisk him away from her like that.

Maybe she took their time together for granted. It was only normal, after knowing each other for basically their whole lives. When he dropped her off at her house and they exchanged their goodbyes, she decided, for the better, to just keep enjoying his company like usual.

After all, it wasn't like he was gone already, right?

* * *

_"Link…"_

I stand alone in the middle of a dark forest. Trees were all around me, but I could see nothing beyond them. Her voice keeps calling to me, but I am unable to figure out what direction it's coming from.

Aimlessly, I begin running, and her voice keep getting louder. Where are you? Over roots, vines, and grass, I press onward through the forest. The only sounds are her disembodied voice and the crunching of leaves beneath my feet.

Finally, after what seems like eternity, I see a light. A way out of the forest! Full speed ahead, i charge towards the glow…

Only to step onto a battlefield. The sky is blood red. Around me are innumerable soldiers in the heat of war, doing their best to repel a disgusting horde of monsters. Orcs, moblins, bokoblins, the whole lot. Clashes of metal fill the air, along with the guttural roars of both man and beast. Looking down, I see that I too am a soldier. Silver armor, a longsword in one hand and a metal buckler in the other. Far in the red horizon, I can see the outline of a massive castle, almost as tall as the mountains. This is my duty, is what it feels like.

An orc has finally taken notice of me standing motionless in the sea of battle and death. Stepping over a body he begins approaching me, steam coming from his nose. He is two heads taller than I, skin a pale green, various tribal tattoos adorning the parts of his body that weren't covered in armor. He pats his greataxe as he continues to swagger towards me.

He breaks into a sprint, lunging at me. With a mighty swing, the orc attempts to cleave my skull in half - to no avail. I step out of the way, running my sword along his axe as I deflect the attack. There's a metallic screech and some sparks, and in a split second, I swing upwards, leaving a deep gash along the beast's shoulder.

He's angry now. He takes a wide, uncontrolled swing. This one is deflected off my shield. Not today! I drive my sword into the orc's chest, yelling as loud as I can. Blood pours from the wound as I impale him. He roars, using one of his massive hands to throw me off of him. I tumble to the ground, looking up just in time to see the results of my handiwork. He's on his knees now, clutching the grip of the sword that was protruding out of his back.

Scrambling to my feet, I mercilessly pull my sword out of his chest.

_"Finish… the job… human…"_ He utters with his dying breath.

Heeding his last request, I nod, bringing raising my sword to put him out of his misery.

I blink, and the orc is suddenly replaced by Fado. The same wound, the same amount of blood.

_"F-Fado!"_ I choke out, kneeling down. Did I do this?

_"H-help the others…! Ya fool!"_ He wheezes.

My eyes widen as I look around me. We're in the village, in the middle of the square. The sky is still blood red. The bodies of dead soldiers have been replaced with the bodies of the villagers, some of them that I know. The buildings are on fire, in between them are orcs and moblins running amok, slaughtering anybody trying to escape.

_"Ilia…!"_ I can't help but cry. I leave Fado to his inevitable death, dashing through the streets towards her house.

A bokoblin tries to get in my way. He tries a bumbling swing with his club, and it was easily parried by my sword. In a flash,off is the arm holding the weapon, blood spraying in the air. I don't have time for this. I push the creature out of the way as it begins to cry at the loss of its limb.

I continue my way down the street; Ilia's house should be right around the corner! I turn the corner, only for my heart to completely drop. It is set ablaze. On the doorstep are two bodies - Ilia's and her father's.

I slowly walk towards them and drop to my knees. Ilia's gentle face was covered in blood, her silk blonde hair matted like it'd been splashed with red paint.

_"Link."_ Calls a voice from behind me, the same one from the forest.

I turn around to see a figure standing in the middle of the street. I can barely see her face, but I know who it is.

_"You again."_

From where she is standing, she nods.

_"Why do you keep doing this to me?"_ I can't help but ask.

_"War approaches."_ She warns. It is a simple, yet ominous message.

_"War? With who?"_

_"The dark one. It's only a matter of time." _

_"Until when? How much time?!"_

_"You can save them. Save us."_

I quickly tire of these cryptic messages, _"I don't know what you're talking about!"_

She stops for a second, the sounds of distant battle being the only thing I can hear.

Then, she laughs. It is a pure, gentle laugh.

_"You will know eventually… _Hero._"_

* * *

It was the end of another long day at the ranch. It was already dark, the dummies Link struck only lit up by the lanterns that faintly illuminated the road. Beads of sweat ran down his face as he continued to fiercely go through the motions.

For two weeks, he would have these recurring dreams. Day after day they would only get more terrifying, more violent. He would see his loved ones get slain among others whose faces he did not know, but stayed vivid in his memory. That woman kept calling to him.

Ilia did not know it, but he'd made up his mind. He needed to go to Hyrule, lest he live with these nightmares. The birthmark on his hand, that peculiar triangular birthmark, had grown more and more prominent each passing day. At this point it looked almost like a tattoo. Almost.

With a grunt, he gave one last heave, cleaving the dummy he was striking clean in half. It flopped unceremoniously onto the grass, straw spilling into the air and onto the ground. Another bead of sweat dripped off his chin as he panted for air. _What am I doing, even…_ He thought to himself, leaning against the fence as he fished for his water sack. Taking a greedy gulp, Link looked up at the stars beginning to form in the sky.

"What's got you all worked up?" Came a voice from a bit further down the road. Ilia was making her way towards the gate, evidently finished her errands for the day. As usual, she had a basket in hand.

"Ilia," Link greeted, wiping some sweat off his face, "Long day for you, huh?"

"Dad's been drilling into me these days," She sighed, reaching into the basket. This time, she pulled out a wedge of cheese, handing it to the young man. He took it gratefully, immediately biting off a chunk. She took a second to observe the mutilated straw dummy on the grass, "What did that guy do to deserve this?"

Link chuckled, "Sacrifices needed to be made."

"Clearly. Don't work yourself too hard or you might sprain something." She chided.

"Well if that were too happen I'd just get you to take care of me, right?"

Ilia laughed, "Sure, but don't go using that as an excuse to hurt yourself."

Link motioned for them to start heading down the road, and she followed suit.

Tomorrow, they both had the day off from their chores and duties. Ilia suggested that they do something different and go fishing at the lake. Link happily accepted of course, very much the fisherman. He wondered if that would be the best time to tell her he was going to leave, though. He had mentioned it to Fado - didn't give a concrete date or anything, but he knew where Link's sentiments laid. Of course Ilia knew too, but until today it had been just a maybe.

He thought about what the journey was gonna be like. How long would it take to get to the capital? It was far, far away. Would Ilia let him take Epona? What if the village got attacked while he was gone? These thoughts were all on his mind as they walked down the road together.

"Father said he'd lend me his rod for tomorrow," She said.

"Ah, that's right. You don't go very often, huh." Link winked at her, "Don't worry, I'll show you the ropes."

"How about we bet who can get the bigger catch?" Ilia suggested, a sly smile growing on her lips.

"And what would we bet for?"

The young girl hummed, before smirking again, "How about the loser has to buy the winner anything they want at the tavern?"

Link's face lit up, "Oh-ho! Now we're talking! You know how much I can eat. You sure that's a smart bet?"

"I think I'll surprise you," she said, "I'm a quick learner."

He crossed his arms, "That may be, but I have to live off the fish I catch sometimes. I'd be prepared to lose, if I were you."

"We'll just have to see about that tomorrow!"

Ilia's confidence never waned as they continued into the town. During the evening, when mostly everybody was done their work for the day, the square was bustling with townsfolk. There were a couple of taverns in town, and they were quite busy at this time of the night. Ordon was very close to one of the main roads that ran through the province, so they had their fair share of travelers and merchant wagons that passed through as well.

It was unfortunate, but the two of them lived on opposite sides of the town. It wasn't long before they parted ways and Link was all back to his lonesome. He used this time to admire the town's peaceful scenery. There were travelling merchants around the square peddling their wares, drunk townsfolk conversing merrily, and children running through the streets.

His head throbbed and, for a second, the view he saw was replaced by one from his dreams - a scene of fire, panic, and death. He clutched his forehead, shaking off the thought. The answers to the questions laid in his dreams was in Hyrule.

Link was sure of it.

* * *

Ilia couldn't help but rest her chin on her palm as she waited for her rod to get a nibble. The two of them were sitting in a rowboat in the middle of the large lake that was down the road from Ordon. It was another beautiful day, the sun glistening off the calm waters. Every so often, a splash would be heard as a trout broke the surface to do a merry jump.

"This is actually so boring." She said, hanging her head in defeat, "We haven't gotten a bite in almost half an hour! Maybe we should've done something else..."

Link hummed and looked over to the pail they had on deck with them. Empty. He closed his eyes and nodded, "There is nothing more relaxing than testing your patience with a rod in hand."

Ilia rolled her eyes, "I thought this lake was full of fish! What happened to being a master fisherman?!"

Her partner put a finger to her lips, "You'll scare the fish. They can sense impatience." She slapped his hand away and pouted. Link adjusted his posture on the boat and began reeling in his line. "Let's try this…"

He looked across the surface of the water and squinted. After a moment, he nodded, and pointed down shore, "You see that part of the lake where all the fish are at?"

Quizzically, Ilia also squinted and looked in the direction of his finger. The lake's water was very pure, pure enough that they could see several feet beneath the surface. Sure enough, a small school of fish were circling around in that corner of the lake. "Yeah, I see them!"

"Okay, let's try recasting the line over there." He helped Ilia get a good grip on her rod, "One… Two... !"

Together, they whipped the line across the lake. It traveled a nice distance before plopping on the surface a few feet away from the school of fish. Link gave her a thumbs up, before going ahead and casting his own line in in the same area. "Okay, now what?" she asked, holding onto her rod.

"Now, try reeling the line just a little bit. Like this." Link gave the reel a small nudge, enough to make the lure bounce underneath the surface, "You see those tiny little ripples the lure made?"

Ilia tried it herself, getting the same result, "Uh-huh."

"Well, if the lure moves around like that, the fish can get fooled into thinking it's alive," He did it a couple more times, and Ilia could see the lure jiggling around in the water, "That'll make them want to bite on it! Well, that's how the theory goes anyway."

She began doing it a few times, just like he said, furrowing her brow in concentration. Within seconds, she felt a heavy tug on her rod, "I-I think I got a bite!" She cried out in excitement.

"Nice! Now start reeling it - don't do it too hard though, or else the line might snap!"

Ilia leaned back, pulling on her rod as she madly cycled the handle on the fishing reel, "C'mon ya stupid fish! Make Link pay for dinner!"

Link couldn't help but sweatdrop and twitch an eye, "Didn't I just say not to reel it in too hard...?"

It seemed that she was either having trouble with the line or that her bite was quite large. Link didn't recall many large fish in the lake, but the river did run through it so maybe some new fish got washed in from upstream. Ilia growled and stood up suddenly, stomping her foot on the side of the boat for support. The small rowboat rocked violently, causing Link to nearly stumble out of his seat.

With a final heave, her line exploded out of the water, a humongous Hylian Pike (accompanied with a dramatic spray of sparkling water) was attached to the end of it.

"A pike!" Link exclaimed, not believing his eyes. When Ilia managed to reel the fish to their boat, they both couldn't help but marvel at the size of it. It was long enough that from the top of Ilia's head, it's tail was just above her knees. Every time it squirmed it would give the pair a little spray of lake water. "Never thought I'd see a pike in our lake here! What a catch!"

Ilia laughed as she gushed over the fish, "It's so big! Hahaha!" She glanced over at Link, "Looks like you're buying dinner!"

He was utterly defeated. "I shouldn't have given you those pointers after all," He said, hanging his head.

In the end, under Link's advice, she tossed the rare catch back into the water. They had fished for another hour, but Link was unable to catch any fish even remotely close to the size of the pike. It was okay; the small row back to shore gave him enough time to come to terms with his wallet getting emptied out.

After making sure the boat was tied securely to the small dock, Link scooped up both of their rods and helped Ilia onto the platform. She was grinning ear to ear, and it warmed his heart to see her enjoying herself. Before heading back to the square to eat, they first needed to put away the fishing gear.

"That was fun, right?" Link asked, nudging her on the side.

"Mmhmm! Although I don't think I'm cut out to be a fisherman, if I can be honest." She replied, scratching her head, "I did tell you I pick things up quick, though!"

"I would appreciate it if you attributed some of that success to my teaching, thank you very much." He huffed, joking.

"Sure, sure. You're the best teacher a girl could ask for!" Ilia cooed, clearly insincere.

"Ah, whatever." Link pouted, eliciting a laugh from her.

After dropping off Link's rod back at his place, it took some time before they were at Ilia's. Her house was much larger than his, that was for sure. Of course, it helped that it also belonged to the mayor.

"Ah, how was the fishing trip, you two?" The mayor, Bo, greeted as the pair walked into the house. He was a heavy set man with eyes that seemed to be permanently closed, with a peculiar pencil moustache above his lips. The house itself was exceedingly spacious, with many hunting trophies from Bo's glory days on the wall. Pictures of him as a youngin', back when he used to wrestle with the Goron in Hyrule accompanied them, along with photos of a young Ilia.

"It went great, dad! I caught a pike! It was thiiiis big!" She said excitedly, stretching her hands out in an exaggerated motion.

Link handed the rod to Bo, shaking his head, "She beat me fair and square. I dunno what else to tell ya."

The old man gave a big laugh, "Bahaha! Ilia's always full of surprises ain't she?" He put a finger to his chin, "Although I don't recall there ever bein' any pike in that lake…" He leaned over to whisper in Link's ear, "You sure she ain't lyin'?"

"Dad! I can hear you!"

Bo gave another great big laugh at his daughter's expense. His carefree and relaxed attitude was what made the villagers so fond of him. When Link was young, Bo often took care of him when Link's father was busy manning the anvil. He would always be grateful to him for that.

After loitering around the house for ten minutes or so, Bo shooed the two of them out, "C'mon! It's your day off, go outside and have fun!"

Ilia decided that they go to one of the taverns for food and wine. While she wasn't a particularly big drinker, she figured that it was a good a day as any for a little celebration, and Link couldn't help but agree.

Although it was only the late afternoon, the tavern was filled with townsfolk dining and drinking. There was excited chatter from all corners of the establishment, Ilia and Link greeting some of the people as they went to procure a table. It wasn't that rare for them to go out and eat like this, but they were usually so drained during that the week that they often just ate at home.

A waitress came by to their table and set down a couple mugs of water, "Hey you two! Finally got some free time, I see!"

Ilia giggled, "We thought it'd be nice to change things up today."

The waitress nodded, "Well don't hold back. We've got a lot of new stuff on the menu this week. Take a look!" She set down a pair of menus on the table.

Ilia ended up order a huge platter of meats, cheeses, and breads. There was braised pork, a steaming seasoned meatloaf, various Ordon specialty cheeses, along with several loaves of hard bread. They also ordered a jug of mild red wine to wash it down with. When it got to the table, there was barely any room for them to rest their arms. She might not have looked it, but the girl could definitely put food away.

Dinner went by with comfortable small talk made between the two. As they expected, the food delicious. The wine was made locally in the village, with several vineyards making their home in the hills of Ordona. It was sweet but not overly so, and the alcohol content was low enough that they could drink a lot of it without being completely intoxicated.

When the bill came, Link couldn't help but cover his eyes. It was about 25 rupees, which was about a half day's work at the ranch. It didn't seem like much in that perspective, but the working class had to be frugal in this realm. He pulled out his wallet, placing a couple of coins on the table. The 20 rupee coin was a large silver coin with a small red gem in the middle, and the 5 rupee coin was a smaller nickel coin with a tiny blue gem in the middle.

Once the table had been cleared, the two decided to loiter for a bit longer as they finished the jug of wine.

"That was so delicious!" Ilia exclaimed, rubbing her belly. Her normally light skin was tinged with a rose hue from the alcohol.

"Glad you enjoyed it." Link smiled, trying to block the memory of paying for the meal, "Don't drink too much though, you don't want to get up with a hangover tomorrow."

She waved him off and took another sip, "Oh it'll be fine. It's not like there's any work to do tomorrow. You have to be at the ranch though, so maybe you should be the one slowing down!"

Ah yes, the ranch was open bright and early once again the next day. He wondered how much longer he'd be working there.

"I've decided to go." Link said, abruptly.

Ilia nodded, "Yeah, I figured as much." She looked down at the deep purple-red of the drink in her mug, her reflection shimmering in the surface of the wine, "You wouldn't stay even if I asked you to, right?"

Link gave a solemn smile, "You know me better than anyone; I'm too stubborn for that."

"What do you hope to find, I wonder?" She asked, pouring more of the drink into her mug.

He shook his head, "I don't know. It's hard to explain." He tapped his finger on the table before recalling one of his dreams, "War approaches."

"War?" She repeated, confused.

Link nodded, "The visions I've been having… They're almost like looks into the future. I tried to brush them off as my imagination going crazy at nighttime but they're so vivid, so real." He pulled back the sleeve on his left arm and showed her his birthmark. It had fully manifested - three triangles stacked together in the shape of a larger triangle.

"That looks like… The symbol on the royal Hylian crest?" Ilia gasped, tracing her fingers on his hand.

He nodded once again, "I don't know what it means exactly, but I at least know that the answers will be in Hyrule."

Ilia's face looked troubled for a second, until she sighed, "Like I said earlier, I'm not gonna stop you," The fingers that were tracing his hand eventually clasped over, "Just… Don't do anything out of your league, okay?"

Link returned the gesture and softly held her hand. "I'll try my best." They stayed like this for a few seconds before he smirked, "But I can't make any promises."

Ilia let go immediately and shook her head, laughing in exasperation, "If you get yourself killed I am totally not going to your funeral."

"I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun haunting you if that does happen."

For one of the final times, they spent the night bantering with each other the way they always did.

* * *

The sound of Epona's hooves slowly clopping along the dirt road echoed between the trees as Link was making his way through the forest at the edge of Ordona's border. It was still midday, and Link reckoned that he would be in Faron by the evening. Rays of light that seeped in through the forest canopy illuminated the road. The further down the road he travelled, the more likely he'd be running into wolves, bears, and even worse, fiends.

On top of his regular off-white tunic, he wore a thick brown hooded cloak, grey wolves fur lining the hood. The grip of his sword poked out from underneath the cloak, just behind his neck. Over the blue sash he wore was a large leather belt, with small pouches attached to it. Slung around his right shoulder, opposite his sword, was a larger leather satchel that hung at his waist. The sleeves around his forearms were wrapped in navy fabric, which tucked into a pair of brown fingerless gauntlets. Epona's saddle now had several large saddlebags strapped to the side, a plush blanket rolled on the seat behind Link. His spiky blonde hair, which had grown a little longer, was tied into a small ponytail.

On his lap, just beneath the reins, he was consulting a map of Hyrule and the surrounding areas. The road he was on would continue into the southeastern Hylian province of Faron. It was quite large, with a varied landscape of temperate conifer forests, marshlands, and warm grass plains to the far west. Hyrule's capital was in the Central province, north of Faron, and it would take possibly weeks to get there since Faron was so large. Along the road were quite a few settlements, with a small town just past the border that he could probably lodge at for the evening. Another point of interest he made note of on the map was Faron's capital, Faron City. It was off the main road by a little bit, but he thought maybe it could be interesting to do some sightseeing since he would be in the area.

Sightseeing. Link set off on this journey because he had something to do, but why couldn't he enjoy himself a little? Maybe because he felt guilty for leaving Ilia back in the village. He didn't know how long he'd be gone for. Maybe he would never come back. He imagined coming back home after years; Ilia would have found a husband by then, maybe even started a family. Or the village could have been war torn - destroyed by this war he had visions of. It had been only a few days since he'd left, and he was already starting to feel a little homesick. He convinced himself that if he didn't do this, then there wouldn't be a home to come back to.

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, he rolled up the map and slipped it into one of the satchels he wore on his waist.

"C'mon girl, giddy up." He snapped the reins, letting Epona break into a canter. He had a long trip ahead of him, and he decided it was time to get moving.

* * *

_Author's Notes/Rambles:_ This is my first story that I've actually posted in a veeeery long time. After putting over 250 hours into BOTW, replaying TP for the gazillionth time, and listening to ZREO's Twilight Symphony and vaporwave Nintendo music for hours as I studied for my midterms, I really really wanted to write something Zelda-related. I've always wondered what a grittier, more realistic Zelda game would be like, but we ain't ever gonna get that shit so I thought it would be fun to envision my own. I wish for this story to be a complete Zelda tale, with interpolations of TP (obviously), BOTW, and Hyrule Warriors. I really enjoy series that are episodic in nature and feature a lot of travelling, with my main inspirations stemming from Spice & Wolf, Berserk, Mushi-shi, Samurai Champloo, The Witcher, and much more recently, the new adaptation of Dororo.

Side note, Link and Ilia are 20 and 19 here, which makes them eligible to drink in most countries that aren't the US - in case you were concerned about a couple of teenagers downing jugs of wine.

Please feel free to leave any constructive criticism! It's been a long time since I've written with readers in mind and I would love to improve my writing. If you enjoyed the chapter, thank you very much! BUT please expect slow updates, as I am very busy with school and work.

_ \- K_


	2. Dry Behind the Ears

**2 - Dry Behind the Ears**

The temperature began to drop considerably the further into Faron Link traveled. He'd passed the border a few days ago, and had been swallowed whole by the beautiful, yet eerie forests. Every breath of his and Epona's would produce a very faint cloud of condensation. In the coming weeks he would not have been surprised if it began to snow.

Luckily, his cloak was more than warm enough, and among his belongings were extra clothes in the event of colder or warmer weather. He would be safe of bandits, who were probably less active in the chill. Wolves did not hibernate, however, and neither did fiends - both comfortable in the maze of the forest.

Within the hour he would be close to another village; it was marked on his map but unnamed, and he assumed that it was probably very small. Regardless, he would be able to get off the road and eat some warm grub for the first time in a couple of days.

Link gave a yawn, eliciting a whinny from Epona. There were only a handful of travelers that he passed on the road, all of them small time merchants trying to quickly pass through and get to Ordona. He hadn't seen another human since he'd left the last village he was in; for the amount of settlements that were in the region, there were strangely very few people on the road. The threat of fiends were very real, even on the main road like this. Bokoblins were easy prey for trained soldiers and caravan guards, but on unarmed travelers and merchants they were exceedingly dangerous. While not very intelligent, they always hunted in packs, and Link had heard stories of the gruesome things they would do to people they could get their hands on.

He looked up at the canopy, the light seeping through the pine needles of the trees slowly starting to dim. It was getting late. With a snap of the reins Epona was back into a canter. The fuel in his lantern was beginning to run low, and he did not want to get caught in the forest without a light source. On top of that, Epona was beginning to tire, and she was long due for some rest and food as well.

It wasn't long until the trees began to clear out a bit and the palisades of a small village came into view. Slowing down to a trot, he and Epona approached the village entrance, which had a single guard leaning against the palisade with a bored look on his face. Guards for small villages like these were typically militiamen from the village itself, lightly armed and mostly keeping watch out of ceremony.

"Traveler." The guard greeted as Link passed through the gate.

"There an inn here?" He asked from atop Epona. The guard nodded, pointing to one of the few double story buildings in the village. "Thanks."

There were a few villagers walking around on the road, going through their daily activities. The town probably had fifty townsfolk in it max; there wasn't even a signpost that had the name of the village on it. The front of the inn had a post for horses with hay bales at the front.

"Be right back, girl." Link said as he tied Epona's reins to the post. She whinnied softly, immediately beginning to graze on the hay.

He swung the large door open, walking into the inn. The commons room was dark and small, a fireplace at the back being the only source of light. There was a set of stairs that Link presumed led up to the guest rooms. The proprietor of the inn was sitting in front of the fireplace, tending to a pot of boiling stew. He was an old man, with graying hair and a long beard, hunched on his chair as he stirred the pot. As the door creaked open, he too creaked his neck over to look at Link.

"Hail, traveler." He called out in a gruff voice.

Link put a hand up in greeting, "I'd like a room. Just for the night."

The man stood up, slowly hobbling towards Link, "Ten rupees for the night. Supper and breakfast included, if you like."

As he fished for his wallet, Link nodded, "That would be wonderful, thank you." He dropped a ten rupee coin in the man's outstretched hand; it was the same size as the twenty rupee coin, except nickel with a small yellow gemstone in the middle. "Are there any other guests here?"

The old man nodded, "Just one other." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, a parchment tag hanging from it, "Upstairs, second room on the right. Stables in the back for your horse."

Straight to the point. Link accepted the key, before heading back out to get Epona into the stables. When he stepped back outside, the sun had begun its descent into the mountains. The lanterns on the side of the roads and outside the houses had begun getting lit by the villagers.

He led Epona to the rear of the inn, where a small stable was located. There was one other horse there - a draft horse, much hardier than Epona, with a dark, almost black coat. Either the other patron was a merchant or they came from the mountains.

"Behave yourself, okay?" Link said, giving his horse a rub. He reached into his satchel, pulled out a sugar cube and let Epona lick it from his hand, "That's a good girl. I'll see you later."

With a stretch, he headed back into the inn, nodded to the proprietor, and made his way up the stairs. The hallway to the rooms was just as poorly lit as the rest of the inn. After undoing the lock on the door, it opened up with a faint creak. The room was cozy, a bit larger than his back home, with a small desk and chair and a single large bed.

He undid his cloak, hanging it on one of the hooks on the wall, subsequently undoing the latch on his belt and dropping it on the bed. He left his satchel on the chair, before swinging his sword around and leaving it to lean against the desk.

On cue, his stomach gave a little groan. Time for food. On the road, he'd been living solely off hard bread and flavourless biscuits; unpleasant, but they kept for a very long time even in the most unfavourable conditions.

When he'd returned to the commons room, the proprietor had already begun pouring a bowl of stew for Link. There was a dining table near the fireplace, with a few seats to go along. He took a seat opposite to the proprietor, gratefully taking the bowl.

The stew seemed to be cream based, with potatoes, chicken, and leeks mixed in. To a traveler, this sort of hardy meal was a godsend.

"Thank you." Link said, to which the man nodded. He didn't notice earlier, but there was a smaller pot being heated next to the fireplace with a ceramic jug sitting in some light wine inside of it. The proprietor scooped the jug out, filling a couple mugs with the heated wine, setting one in front of Link.

"Getting cold out there. This should keep you warm." The man stated, taking a sip for himself.

Link nodded, digging into the stew. He ate his meal quietly, the older man minding himself as he sipped on his mug, gazing into the fire. The stew was nice and rich, and the wine was mildly sweet with barely any alcoholic content. Link took this time to enjoy sitting in the warmth and to let his body relax.

As he was in the middle of a bite, the door swung open, a tall man entering the commons room. Link couldn't really make out what he looked like, as it was so dim, but he was carrying a large sack over his shoulder.

Without any words, the three men greeted each other simply by nodding, and the newcomer continued up the stairs, his footsteps disappearing into the hallway above.

"From Akkala, that one." The proprietor said, not taking his eyes off the fire.

Link raised a brow, "That's a long ways from here."

"Merchants will go anywhere as long as they can make a profit." He stated, shaking his head, "Rare to see a travelling swordsman like yourself, though."

"I'm headed to Central," The young man replied, "Something I need to do there."

"As is everyone these days." The proprietor turned to look at him, "They need capable hands I hear. Finding work should be easy."

"They?" Link repeated.

"The military. Disputes with the nation to the west."

"Like war, you mean." Link took another sip of the wine.

"No," The old man shook his head, sighing, "Not yet anyway. The King has been making preparations in the event of war, though."

That was news to Link. He hadn't heard of any of this, not that they would necessarily hear about it in Ordona. Could his visions be coming true? Although the western nation wasn't exactly evil, there were populations of orcs that lived there. But from what he'd heard, orcs were just like any other race, except far more secluded with their traditions. He wouldn't have been surprised to run into any travelling within Hyrule, as well.

"Well, either way, I still have to head up to the Capital." Link said, shrugging.

Footsteps were heard from the stairs, the tall man reappearing into the commons room. He took a seat next to Link, and he finally got a good look at his face. Square jaw, with short black hair, a short black beard, and kind eyes. "Careful on your trip - road's dangerous this time of the year," He said, his voice deep, "The military has trouble keeping tabs on the fiends and bandits in the forests."

Link nodded, "I'll be careful."

The man accepted the bowl of stew being poured for him, "Better men have fallen to worse. Don't let your guard down, even for a deku baba."

"You sound like you've been around."

"I have, kid," The man took a big gulp of the warmed wine, "Been a merchant for fifteen years. Been to every province in Hyrule and beyond."

"Don't need a guard?" Link remarked, smirking.

The man waved him off, "Nah. Served in the military for a bit. You don't make nearly as much grovelling to somebody that's ranked higher than you."

This elicited a chuckle from Link, "Better to be your own boss, right?"

"Exactly. Good place to hone your skills, though, that I can't deny." The man said, pointing at him. He then extended a hand, "The name's Aldridge. I'm a merchant hailing from Akkala."

The young man gave him a firm handshake, "Link. I'm from Ordona."

Both of the other occupants of the room gave surprised looks. "A Hylian from Ordona? Very rare, indeed." The proprietor said.

Link nodded, "I was orphaned and raised in Ordon - my father was a blacksmith, made the sword I carry around."

"Well I'll be! The stuff you guys make always fetches a high price on the market." Aldridge acknowledged, "Maybe I should consider going there next…"

The young man laughed, "Don't think we'll be running out of pumpkins any time soon, so I'm sure you could make a profit bringing some over here."

Aldridge chugged down the rest of his wine, a determined look on his face, "I've decided to head there tomorrow!"

That got a chuckle out of the proprietor, "Living life on the edge. The best way to spend your youth, if I do say so myself."

The three men conversed over food and drink for the next hour or so, before Link decided it was high time for him to retreat to bed. He was beat, having been on the road since before dawn and having slept under a tree just before that.

With a yawn, he entered his room and immediately kicked off his boots. Hoping he wouldn't have an unpleasant dream that night, he flopped belly first into the bed, closing his eyes. It wasn't long until the bliss of sleep had taken over him.

* * *

Link had awoken to the sounds of somebody banging on his door.

_Thud thud thud!_

"Kid, wake up! We need you!" Came Aldridge's voice from behind the door.

Stirring in his bed, he groggily began rubbing his eyes. His eyelids felt like they were glued shut from the crust lining them, and he tried shaking off the cobwebs as he stumbled out of bed. His eyes still droopy, he managed to make his way to the door, undoing the latch and swinging it open.

Aldridge stood fully dressed with a cloak on, a lantern in one of his hands. The brightness of the lamp made Link squint even further. "Yeah, what's the matter?" Link asked, voice hoarse.

"Grab your sword, get dressed, and meet me downstairs. It's an emergency." He said nothing more and retreated down the stairs.

Link stood there for a second before turning around to do as the man said. After getting fully equipped, he too headed down the stairs, taking a drink from his water sack to wake himself up.

In the commons room, the proprietor, Aldridge, and a newcomer - a young lady - sat around the dining table, discussing something.

"Link, there you are," said Aldridge, waving Link over to take a seat, "Take a seat."

Link did as he instructed, taking a seat at the table.

The woman spoke up, "My name is Rowena, I'm a seamstress in the village." He got a good look at her face; she couldn't have been much older than himself, and had long auburn hair and pretty blue eyes. Cute girl. "I'd hate to ask this of travelers just passing through here, but my sister went missing last night."

Aldridge continued, "The militia have been trying to look for her around the village, but they just don't have enough hands to search and keep guard at the same time."

"She was out gathering mushrooms - very close by. She left yesterday morning and nobody has seen her since!" Rowena began to sob, "I fear the worst may have happened to her…"

Aldridge leaned in to Link's ear, "_They said they'd pay us if we found the girl!" _He had a huge goofy grin on his face.

Link couldn't help but facepalm inwardly at this - even under the apparent gravity of the situation, the merchant was still thinking about making a profit.

"Consider it done," Link announced, crossing his arms, "What does she look like? What's her name?"

Rowena nodded, "We share the same hair and eye colour, but she's a little bit younger than me. Her hair is shorter than mine, as well. Her name is Lumina."

The two men looked at each other before standing up in unison. "We'll find Lumina, don't you worry, kid." Aldridge announced, walking towards the door. A very large object wrapped up in fabric was leaning next to the door, and he grabbed it on his way out.

Link nodded to the girl, who was looking at him expectantly, and followed the larger man through the door. As expected, it was still very early in the morning. The moonlight shone brightly onto the forest, along with the bulbs of light that came from the village's lanterns. He reckoned it was at least two o'clock - the moon was still high in its arc in the sky. It was also very chilly, and Link felt a shiver go up his back as the brisk air touched his skin.

There were a couple of militiamen waiting at the gates of the village - the opposite gate that Link had entered through the previous afternoon. They hailed the two outsiders toward them, "You two! Over here."

"Gentlemen. Where was she last seen?" Aldridge asked, crossing his arms.

One of the guards pointed west, "She'd apparently been doing her work in the grove over there. Not too far off."

The other guard shook his head, "If something like this happened and she was that close, then the village might be in danger."

Link nodded, "Alright. We'll go check it out."

They both began the trek westward. As they got further off the road and into the trees, it became difficult finding solid footing among the roots and rotting pine cones. Aldridge had the only lantern, so Link did his best to stay close behind him.

Within a few minutes, they were at the grove the guards spoke of. It was a large clearing, the moonlight glowing very brightly here. The grass was a verdant green, and between the knolls Link could see small truffles growing from the ground. Fireflies floated lazily in the meadow, and the sound of crickets and night owls echoed from every corner. This was the spot, and the guards were right, this clearing was _very_ close to the village.

They began looking around the clearing on their own; it was easy to see as the moon was directly above them. It wasn't long before Link had a found a clue.

"Aldridge." He called out, kneeling before a basket half full of truffles, "This must be hers."

"Seems like it." Aldridge began searching the vicinity, scanning the ground. "Tracks," He said, pointing to the dirt. "Not human." They looked like human feet, except the toes were a little more stretched out, nails digging into the soil.

"Bokoblins, then?" Link suggested, to which the larger man nodded an affirmative. Link followed the tracks with his eyes - they led directly into the forest. "Looks like we're going deeper."

Aldridge motioned for the young swordsman to follow him. The merchant took point, following the footprints with his lantern. "Probably a camp up ahead," He said as they traversed the forest, "Depending on how many there are, we should be able to take them with just the two of us." He turned to Link, giving him a serious look, "Just don't underestimate them. We'll take it slow - if we get caught trying to deal with a mob we might be in trouble."

Link nodded, "Got it."

"Good. Keep your wits about you."

As they slowly made their way between the trees, Link could feel his heart beginning to pump, adrenaline filling his veins. He'd practiced his swordsmanship maniacally in the weeks leading up to his departure, but he'd never actually faced a real opponent outside of his visions. He felt his palms beginning to moisten, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple as he gulped. It was a strange feeling; he was scared, yes, but more so he was excited - he'd finally be able to test his mettle.

Aldridge put up a fist, motioning for Link to stop. The merchant turned off his lantern, tapping Link on the shoulder to look ahead. Sure enough, there was a large campfire further into the forest. As they moved in closer, they saw that it was a pretty decent encampment.

It was in a clearing of the forest next to a rocky cliff, a cave at the foot of it. There were unfinished palisades, leaving multiple gaps for entry, with two elevated towers to keep watch.

As they predicted, the camp was full of bokoblins; primitive, humanoid creatures with thick, leathery skin of varying tones and hog-like snouts. They were at the bottom of the intelligence spectrum but were smart enough to use weapons and tools, and in enough numbers could pillage a town with their perseverance. Unlike their larger, much more fearsome counterparts, the moblin, they were generally frail and weak.

Two red bokoblins stood atop of the towers, both with a pair of primitive bows made of branches and string. Inside the encampment was a bonfire, a rotisserie set up above it with a wild boar being cooked. There were about eight other bokoblins bumbling about around it. No sign of the girl, she must have been in the cave.

"_You any good with a bow?" _Aldridge asked, whispering.

Link shrugged, "_I've never used one before."_

The larger man nodded, "_Not a problem."_ He began unravelling the fabric wrapped item he had. Link's eyes widened when he saw that it was a humongous claymore - easily as long as Link was tall. Aldridge's large stature made it believable that he could wield such an enormous weapon. "_Those two bokoblins up there - they're only focusing on two directions. If we circle around to the openings of the palisades on the left and right, we should be able to bypass their line of sight,"_ He pointed to the campfire, "_That bokoblin has a pretty decent bow-" _Indeed, the bokoblin he pointed to was furthest away from the campfire, and was holding onto a bow that a traveller would use, "_-these guys are too dumb to put him on the watchtower."_

Link was beginning to understand where he was going with this, "_I'll sneak around, take the bow, and take out the guards at the watchtower?"_

Aldridge patted him on the shoulder, "_Exactly. Don't worry, it's super easy, just point and pull the drawstring back and release it." _Link couldn't help but give a sweatdrop at his explanation. "_Once they're dead, I'll come in and just hammer away with my greatsword. There's only eight of them, so once the arrows are out of the way it should be a piece of cake."_ The young swordsman nodded.

"_Alright, let's move. Quietly!"_

Keeping a low profile, the two of them split into opposite directions. Link moved swiftly through the underbrush, the tall grass keeping him hidden as he avoided the watch of the bokoblin above. He could hear their snorts and strange cackling sounds that sounded like laughter. The smell of the boar being cooked reached his nose - he hoped that it was the only thing being cooked in that fire.

The bokoblin with the traveller's bow seemed to be dozing off near the entrance of the palisade. _Gotta get its attention…_ He thought, looking around him. A whistle would be too loud, and it bore the risk of attracting the entire camp. Picking up a pebble on the ground, he flicked it at the bokoblin's direction.

It lightly plonked off the bokoblin's head, causing it to angrily stir. It took a look around, before walking towards Link's direction. _Just a little more… _Once the bokoblin was close enough, he pounced out of the grass, unsheathing his sword.

In one swift motion, he jammed his sword in the bokoblin's face, spinning the creature around as it struggled. Link pinned the bokoblin into the grass; it fervently began trying to rake its fingers into his eyes, to no avail. He gave the sword a crank, and a moment later it stopped moving, lifeless. Link released a breath that he did not realize that he had been holding. After wiping the blood that sprayed all over his cheek, he removed his sword from the head of the bokoblin.

Its once perfect metal sheen was now tainted with the melodramatic red of the creature's blood. There was a sliver of remorse, until he remembered that these fiends were scum of the realm, existing only to prey on the weak. He shook his head and gave the sword a flick before returning it to its sheath.

He picked up the bow the bokoblin had dropped. It was made of a light, sturdy wood - oak perhaps - with engraved metal lining the arrow rests. The grip was ambidextrous, the drawstring made of a higher quality wire rather than string. _Where the hell did it get this?_ He wondered, before realizing that it probably plundered it off some unsuspecting traveler. Searching the bokoblin's body, he found four arrows. No quiver though - he would have to make do for now.

Link snuck towards the opening in the palisades and the other bokoblins were none the wiser. Peeking into the camp, he saw the two guards in the watchtowers still looking in the same direction. _Target practice. _For the first time, he armed the bow with an arrow and took aim at the closest watchtower. It was bizarre; he once again felt a wave of familiarity as he did this. Drawing back the string felt extremely natural, as if he had done this countless times before.

Closing an eye, he steadied his aim. He took a breath, _Here goes nothing! _He released the arrow, the drawstring making a satisfying rebound sound. The arrow whistled through the air, landing dead center on the back of the bokoblin's head. There was a small spray of blood, and the bokoblin fell over onto the platform, dead.

He couldn't help but be impressed with himself, but Link had no time to admire his handiwork. None of the bokoblins noticed yet and he wanted this over before they did. He took aim at the second watchtower. _Thunk! _Right in the bokoblin's temple!

As soon as the second bokoblin fell, Aldridge emerged from the opposite opening, yelling at the top of his lungs. "HURAHHH!" came the guttural battle cry as he charged into the camp with his greatsword raised.

The bokoblins had zero time to react, and in one wide swing he cleaved two of the bokoblins clean in half, the pieces of their bodies flying into the air. Link took this time to drop his bow and backstab the closest bokoblin, sinking his sword through its back.

A bokoblin armed with a club lunged at him, and he instinctively parried the weapon, causing the creature to recoil backwards. He lopped off its arm, before spinning around and slicing off its head.

There was a thunderous slam, and Aldridge had given a mighty downward swing on a poor bokoblin, simultaneously cleaving it and crushing it.

_Three left!_ Link dashed to the next closest one; this one was holding a rusty sword. It made to slice at him, and for a second it almost looked as if it was moving in slow motion. He easily stepped out of the way, knocking the weapon out of its hand with his own blade. Holding his sword with two hands, he gave it a single diagonal slash, immediately backpedaling to avoid the spray of blood that jettisoned from the wound.

There was a glint in his eye, and in a blur he made for the next one. With a savage cry, he lunged for the bokoblin, who held up its club to block the attack. Because Link had jumped, he broke right through its guard with the impact of his strike, cause it to stumble backwards. There were the patter of his footsteps, and before he knew it, he had already plunged his sword into the creature's chest. Planting his foot onto the fiend's stomach, he forcibly removed his sword from the body of the bokoblin, kicking it off his sword.

His instincts made his head turn towards the last fiend, but Aldridge had already finished it off.

The battle took all but a matter of seconds. The encampment had been cleared out, the bloody mess of what used to be fiends strewn about the ground next to the campfire. Link was panting, not from fatigue, but from excitement. His sword - and his hands - dripped with blood. It was a curious sensation; it wasn't the bloodshed that he enjoyed, but more so the rush of battle. It was very fluid to him, and for the few seconds he was in combat, Link felt like he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Good work kid," Aldridge said, pointing at the watchtowers, "Told you it was easy."

He couldn't help but laugh in response, "I guess I'm a natural."

Aldridge chuckled, "Don't get too ahead of yourself, we still got the girl to save."

Link nodded. The older man began walking to the cave, and Link tried to figure out what he would do with the bow. It was well-crafted, and would definitely be a waste to cast it away. After a second of thought, he decided it would be useful to have on the journey - especially since he was evidently able to make proper use of it. He ended up slipping it around his shoulder and followed the merchant into the cave.

There were bones all along the ground, a torch along the walls every so often. It didn't seem like it from afar, but the cave was kind of deep. They swiftly navigated the tunnel until they came upon a room, roughly the size of a house. A couple of sleeping bokoblins were on the floor, and behind them three wooden cages. Two of them had rotting corpses, the third had…

"_Lumina!" _Link said, whispering as they approached the back of the cave. She was sitting in the corner of the cage, her face buried in her knees. Her clothes were in tatters, but it didn't seem like they'd done anything to her yet. The fact that she still had clothes filled him with a huge wave of relief.

"_Looks like we got here before any of the nasty stuff could happen." _Aldridge remarked. He motioned for Link to follow.

Hunched over, they slowly made their way into the room to avoid waking the bokoblins. Link's nose couldn't help but scrunch up as the smell of the corpses entered his nostrils. It was a bit like a decaying rat that he'd find sometimes in the barn back home, only it was a hundred times more powerful and pungent. It made him want to puke his entire dinner out, and it took every ounce of willpower to resist gagging. That smell was definitely a first for him, and he thought to himself that he would probably need to get used to it.

At this point, their footsteps had gained Lumina's notice, but Link put a finger to his lips. She clutched at the bars of her cage, nodding.

In unison, they plunged their swords in the hearts of the sleeping creatures. After a couple seconds of squirming, they eventually went into an eternal slumber.

"Just hold on, we'll get you out." Link said, walking up to the cage.

Lumina seemed that she'd been crying not too long ago, as her eyes were a little red. "I don't know who you people are, but thank you so much!"

Aldridge shook his head, "There's no need for thanks. It was our pleasure."

Link turned around to look at him, and he gave him a wink and thumbs up. The young man couldn't help but roll his eyes. _Good grief. _Merchants were a greedy bunch. As he jammed his sword in between the door of the cage and its walls, he inwardly agreed that although he was greedy, Aldridge was a very deadly man, and any bandit that tried to cross swords with him on the road was a very dead man.

There was a satisfying crack, and the door swung open. Lumina stumbled out, clutching onto Link's neck for support, "I thought I was gonna die!" She wailed, burying her face into his chest. He patted her back as she began soiling his tunic with her tears. Looking over at the other cages, which had two decaying corpses, he shook his head solemnly. Had they not come there, she could've easily become like them. He didn't even want to imagine the sorts of things they could've done to a frail girl like her.

"It's okay, you're safe now." Link said, gently helping her up.

"I-I'm sorry," She sniffled, still holding onto his hand, "Who are you guys anyway?"

"Travellers," Aldridge replied, wiping the blood off his claymore, "We were staying at the inn until the guards asked us for help."

"Your sister is very worried about you." said the younger man. Once his claymore was clean, Aldridge began wrapping it back up in its fabric. He picked up his lantern, motioning for the two to follow.

"I-I don't know what happened…" Lumina said, beginning to recall what happened earlier in the day, "I was just picking truffles like I always did in the morning… A-All of a sudden…" Tears began rolling down her cheeks again, "They just jumped out of the forest and grabbed me! T-those creatures… They dragged me through the bushes, beating me whenever they wanted."

The two men couldn't help but cringe. Definitely not the most ideal start to someone's day.

"Then they locked me in that cage for hours, next to those two dead bodies. I had to sit there in that room, wondering what horrible things I'd done in the past life to deserve this." She shook her head, her voice echoing off the walls of the tunnels, "Luckily you two came before they could do anything else."

Aldridge nodded, "Definitely. There've been worse things done to people, that much I can assure you."

"Thank you. I honestly don't know how I can repay you two." Lumina said, shaking her head.

Link chuckled, "Well the militia said they would pay us, and for the both of us I think that's more than enough."

"Damn right. Never thought I'd actually make money in a small village like this." The older man said, laughing.

When they got back outside, they couldn't help but take a big breath of the fresh air. Lumina was understandably appalled by the scenery within the encampment. Hopefully it would serve as a warning to any other fiends that thought about getting too close to the village.

It was a quick hike back to the road, where the two guards at the gate were still standing with their spears out.

Aldridge waved over to them, "We found your girl!"

One of the guards looked surprised, "Well I'll be! Welcome back Lumina!"

"We got rid of a bokoblin camp, too." Link added.

The guard nodded, "We thought there might've been a camp, as well. You have our gratitude."

The other one spoke up, "Your sister's waitin' for ya back in the inn, Lumina."

"Thank you, gentlemen." The girl said, bowing.

Link and Aldridge both nodded to each other, and escorted Lumina down the road. As they were walking down the street, Link couldn't help but give a loud yawn.

"Bwahaha! I guess I did pull you out of your beauty sleep, eh Link?" Aldridge said, giving Link a firm slap on the back. The young man stumbled, causing their escortee to giggle.

"When we get back you can rest all you want, okay? No need to worry about me." Lumina said, laughing.

They swung the door into the inn open and Rowena jumped into Lumina's arms. "Sister! You're safe!" She too began to cry, clutching onto the smaller girl's neck.

"Thanks to these two!" Lumina replied, returning the hug.

Rowena pulled away and began wiping her tears. She gave a deep bow to the two travellers, and her sister did the same. "Thank you both. I don't know how I could possibly repay you."

Aldridge put a hand to his chin before nodding sagely, "Money would be fine."

Link chuckled, "Yes, that would suffice."

Rowena also nodded, "Of course. Tomorrow morning the guards will gather something up."

After thanking the two profusely and shaking their hands, the sisters headed back to their house in the village, and the travelers went back into the inn. The proprietor had long since went to sleep.

Aldridge placed a hefty hand onto Link's shoulder, "Good job, kid. Glad to see that sword isn't just for show."

"I could say the same for you. I don't think I could even lift a sword that big." The young swordsman replied, smiling.

"Well, let's just say that on the road, sometimes looks are the biggest deterrent for attackers." He said, giving the young man a wink that could barely be seen in the dimness of the commons room.

Advice that Link would be taking to heart, for sure. They didn't loiter downstairs for much longer than that, and quickly retreated back to their rooms for the remainder of the night. It would be a short rest, then it was back on the road once the sun was back up.

Link unloaded all of his gear at the foot of the bed, taking a second to admire the bow he'd gotten off the bokoblins. When he took into account all his gear, it would be quite difficult to carry his sword and his bow at the same time, not to mention a quiver full of arrows if he'd gotten one. Shrugging, he placed it on the desk, deciding to worry about it later.

After kicking off his boots, he crawled into the bed, pulling the covers up to his chest. He stared at the ceiling, the excitement from the engagement still lingering in his body.

Small-time fiends were only the first step. For the sake of everyone back home, and for himself, he needed to get stronger.

* * *

A pair of lone footsteps echoed on the carpet of the cobblestone hallways, moonlight pouring in through the elegant glass windows. Every other window or so was a lantern lit up, giving dim, but cozy illumination to the hall. There were fantastic paintings hung up on either side of the corridor, along with decorative sets of shields and swords.

The footsteps belonged to a woman; tall and elegant, with a slender, athletic frame. Her skin was slightly tanned, and she wore exotic, form-fitting clothing reminiscent to the people of the eastern region of Necluda; navy tights that covered everything but her arms and shoulders, with a loose, white and red-trimmed kimono-style jacket over top. Her arms and shins had forearm guards, and rather than boots, she wore eastern-style sandals. Exceedingly beautiful, she had thin amber eyes and silky silver hair that was pulled into a long ponytail that cascaded over her back. A single strand hung over her face, which was adorned with a few tribal markings on her cheeks.

As she approached the door at the end of the hallway, she furrowed her brows as she saw a sliver of light leaking from underneath the door frame. She shook her head and sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. "Goddesses… At this time of the night?" She muttered.

She crept up to the door and put a hand up to knock, before stopping herself right before her knuckle hit the door. _Wait… Perhaps she is doing something… Private...? _Putting a hand to her chin, she began to think about her next action wisely, closing her eyes. Leaning in, she put one of her ears to the door.

There was a faint voice speaking, ineligible through the door, along with what sounded like scribbling on a piece of paper. The woman let out a sigh of relief. She cleared her throat, proceeding to knock.

"Your majesty?" She called out. Immediately, the light underneath the door disappeared, the sound of sheets shuffling was heard. The woman couldn't help but giggle to herself as she let herself in.

The room was very wide, a huge and exquisite canopy bed with pink and gold drapes occupying the middle of the space. A plush red rug sat underneath the bed, which extended for a majority of the room. There was a large dresser with a gold mirror in one corner of the room and a large oak study desk on the other, right next to the bed. The lamp that was on the desk still had smoke emanating from it, and the woman could see a piece of paper and an ink jar next to the lamp. The only source of light came from the large glass balcony doors, whose curtains were swept wide open to let the moonlight in.

Behind the drapes of the canopy bed was a figure wrapped up in blankets from head to toe, illuminated by the white light of the moon.

"You shouldn't be up this late, your majesty." The woman spoke softly, approaching the foot of the bed.

The sounds of exaggerated snoring came from underneath the covers, clearly fake. The woman twitched an eye at this.

"Well, if she's asleep, maybe _she wouldn't mind me reading what's on this desk here, hmm?_" She spoke the last part with sickeningly sweet emphasis, marching over to the desk.

The figure underneath the bed threw off the covers, "W-w-wait! NOOO!" The covers revealed a thin young lady, with long, shimmering, golden blonde hair that cascaded around her face, and fair, peachy skin. She had sharp and elegant cerulean eyes, and was wearing a pink nightgown. She jumped out of the bed, snatching the paper off the table, "Impa! You can't!"

The taller woman, Impa, was briefly surprised at the sudden aggressiveness of the girl, before she began to laugh wholeheartedly, "Hahaha! Are your writings so embarrassing that even I am not allowed to look at them-" she put a hand on the girl's head, "-Princess Zelda?"

Underneath the woman's tanned hand was the rosy, flustered face of the Princess. She huffed, gently removing Impa's hand from her head, "Those are private."

Impa's eyes closed as she gave a huge grin, "I know. I'm just teasing you, Princess." She crossed her arms, flicking away the strand of hair that fell over her face, "Is it so important that it would keep you up at these god-forsaken hours of the night? It is well into the morning."

Zelda sighed, still clutching the paper in her hand. She made to sit on the bed, to which her retainer did the same next to her. "I've been having many ominous messages in my sleep lately."

The older woman nodded, "Yes, you've been telling them to me."

"This one…" Her eyelids began to droop, ever-so-slightly, and a slight rosy tinge came over her cheeks, "Was not so ominous."

Impa looked over at her liege - the right hand that held the paper she'd been scribbling on had the triangular mark of the goddesses on it. "How so?"

"The pieces of the Triforce…" Zelda began, looking at her aforementioned hand, "They call to each other. When the Triforce of the dark one calls, I see visions of war - of strife. When the Triforce of the hero calls… It is gentler, simpler. It feels like I've lived a dozen lifetimes, and I've seen him in all of them. It is always different, but at the same time, it feels so familiar."

"The reincarnations, you mean?" Impa suggested, to which the Princess nodded, "I see. I suppose that is how the legends go."

"I believe the hero has been reincarnated in our realm, that he lives among us as we speak." The young Princess of Hyrule looked down at the paper she was clutching in her hand, "There are dreams where I would meet the hero on the battlefield, in the midst of war in our very realm. He looks unlike the other incarnations that I've seen, but I know who he is. The courage and strength… He can help lead us in the dark future that awaits."

Zelda stood up and walked to the balcony, looking out the glass doors that overlooked the beautiful nation she helped rule. Hyrule Castle sat high above the capital - a massive urban area known as Central City, home to hundreds of thousands of citizens of all races. There were buildings and walls that stretched to the horizon and, beyond those, rolling hills, forests, and mountains - all glowing under the moon. This was her home. Their home.

"He calls out to me, but I can never catch up to him. It's strange." She looked up at Impa, who had walked up beside her, "The hero is somewhere out there. If we are to win the war that approaches in the horizon, we must find him."

Impa put a hand on the Princess' shoulder, "Perhaps. Or maybe he will find us," She took one more look out the window before pacing to the middle of the room, "Or maybe, if the pieces of the Triforce call each other like you say, maybe you will find each other."

"Maybe. It is unfortunate," said Zelda, very softly, "For the hero to exist, the dark one must also exist. To be encumbered with such a burden is… Unfair, to say the least."

"Yes. But the hero is chosen because he can handle it." Impa smiled, "The Triforce of Courage is named as such."

The young Princess smiled gently, returning to her bedside, "That it is."

"But, the hero cannot lead us on his own." Impa closed a fist, "We must be diligent to make sure that we are strong. That the people are strong." She walked over to Zelda, once again placing a hand on her head, "And that is why you must sleep, because you need to be up early tomorrow for training."

Zelda giggled, "Yes, I know."

"Good." Impa began to make for the door but stopped abruptly, turning around. "By the way… If your writings were so private, why did you just end up telling me everything anyway?"

The Princess' eyes opened wide, and she protectively clutched her paper to her chest. She began shifting nervously, looking away from Impa. "I…" She started, "I was writing down what the hero looked like. So I wouldn't forget if I ever saw him."

Impa grunted quizzically, "Eh?" She had a confused look on her face, and Zelda avoided eye contact with her. Suddenly, as if she'd had an epiphany, a wave of realization came over Impa's face. "Ah, I see." Her confused face shifted into a sly one, and she put a finger to her chin, "No matter how strong you might be, you are still a young lady, after all." Impa giggled, "He must be a very intriguing young man for you to write about him so."

"..." Zelda refused to say anything else, still looking away from her retainer. The redness on her cheeks had spread to the tips of her ears.

"I will pry no further. However, I will ask that you finish your writings in the morning - can you do that?" asked Impa, to which the Princess meekly nodded, "Wonderful. Sweet dreams, your majesty." She swung the door open and turned around, Zelda sitting on her bedside watching her leave. Impa couldn't help but smirk, "_Very_ sweet dreams." With a click, the door shut, and Impa's laughter could be heard disappearing down the hallway.

Zelda sat in bed, her fair skin red as a tomato.

"I-IMPAAAA!"

* * *

The sun was only beginning to rise when Link forced himself out of bed. The sound of birds chirping outside of the shutters of his room pulled him out of what little slumber he'd managed to get. He groaned, leaning against one of the walls as he tried to get himself awake, taking a large swig of his water sack. At the corner of his mouth he could feel the crust of dried-up drool, which he lazily rubbed at.

Oversleeping was one of his favourite pastimes, and trying to overcome it had proved to be much more difficult task than slaying any beast.

With his eyes still partially shut, he began getting dressed, putting on his equipment. He'd noted that there was still a bit of blood on his tunic and gauntlets, meaning there was probably some on his sword as well. As he walked down the stairs to the commons room, he'd made a mental note to do some cleaning at the next river he passed.

"Up early, boy?" The proprietor greeted, working on a porridge in the pot.

"Long trip up ahead. Gotta get going early to make the most of the sunlight." Link said, taking a seat.

"Wise choice," The older man replied. He set down a pewter tankard on the table, freshly made coffee steaming inside of it. "This'll wake you up."

Link, still sleepy, took the mug with both hands, taking a deep inhale of the drink. He sighed blissfully before taking a careful sip, "Mmm... This is good."

"Necludan coffee beans, they are. I'm sure you don't get to taste that very often in Ordona." The proprietor remarked, a rare smile gracing his weathered face.

The young man shook his head, "Not at all."

"Something smells good down here!" Came Aldridge's voice from the staircase, perky as ever.

"Food'll be ready in a second, take a seat," said the proprietor, returning to the pot of stew.

With a creak, the large man pulled out the chair next to Link, seating himself. He was fully geared as well, setting down both the sack from the night before and his sheathed claymore next to the table. "The guards come by with our payment yet?"

Link took another sip of his coffee, "Nah, not yet."

"Bummer. Well, I'm sure they'll come around before we leave." A tankard of coffee was also set down in front of Aldridge, to which he nodded his thanks. They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying their coffee and listening to the boiling pot of porridge. After a loud slurp, Aldridge turned to Link, "So where're you headed next?"

"Probably Faron City." Link replied, "Thought it might be good to check the place out, stock up on supplies, maybe make some money."

"Aye, I'm sure you could find lots of work there," The proprietor said from the pot, "The Zora River runs next to the city - I'm sure you could find some work at the port."

"I'm not much of a sailor." The young swordsman replied, chuckling.

"Monster slaying, then." Aldridge suggested.

"Monster slaying?" Link repeated, quizzically looking at the larger man, "Don't they have enough soldiers there?"

"Sure, but soldiers are just as lazy as anyone else," Aldridge replied, waving him off, "They'd be more than willing to pay some passerby to do their dirty work for them."

Link hummed, "Hmm. That does sound interesting."

The proprietor gave a hearty laugh, "Hahaha! You youngin's always look for excitement, huh?"

Both of the men sitting at the table smirked. "What can I say? Didn't come this far away from home to go fishing!" Link said, grinning.

The old man put two stone bowls of porridge on the table along with a couple of wooden spoons. Aldridge poked at the fragrant bowl of food; it was milk based with apple slices, oats, and goat cheese mixed into it, topped off with some brown sugar. He took a deep whiff of the steam rising out of it before popping a spoonful into his mouth.

"Gramps, you sure know how to cook." Aldridge said, savouring the sweetness in his mouth.

"The only inn in the village has to be good for something, right?" The older man replied, taking a seat opposite the two with his own bowl of food.

Link ate his porridge quietly, contemplating what the merchant had said. Monster slaying sounded like it would be lucrative, and it would be a great way to improve his swordsmanship. It would be interesting to see the different kinds of beasts and fiends that made Hyrule their home, and getting experience with the fauna of the realm would surely prove to be beneficial for the long run. Of course, the thought of getting possibly killed also lingered in his mind, but that was a bridge he would cross when he got to it. Even then, he was confident that unless it was a dragon or some sort of mythical beast, he could probably deal with any monster he'd find in the forest. Probably. No risk no reward, as they say.

He was pulled out of his musings when the inn's front door swung open, Rowena and Lumina entering the commons room along with one of the militiamen.

"Good morning to you all." The elder sister said, bowing, to which the younger sister did the same, "Slept well, we hope?"

Link nodded, "As well as we could in four hours." He motioned at Lumina, "You should be resting."

Lumina shook her head, "I can rest later. Seeing you two off is more important."

The travellers looked at each other and shrugged. "If you say it's okay." Aldridge said.

The guard cleared his throat, "We've managed to pool in what meager resources we have to reward your work from last night…" He set two pouches on the table, jingling with coins, "Fifty rupees each. I'm sorry that we are unable to provide you with more." Three villagers bowed deeply.

Link shook his head, "Please, don't be. This is more than enough. Lumina's safety is much more important than some coins."

Aldridge opened his mouth to object, "The hell it is-!" Until he received a merciless stomp on the foot from the younger swordsman, "I-I mean, yes! As long as little Lumina is safe." He hid his pain behind a smile, gritting his teeth as he felt his foot begin to swell.

After breakfast, it took no time for the travelers to get ready for departure. They walked their horses to the road in front of the inn, where the sisters were waiting to see them off.

"Hey, girl. You have a good rest?" Link said, holding the reins in one hand and rubbing Epona's neck with the other. She gave an excited snort at the return of her master.

"She's a beauty, that one." Aldridge remarked, already saddled on the bulky draft horse, "What's her name?"

"Epona." Link replied, smiling.

"Good name. Fit for a goddess, one might say." He turned to the gate opposite of where Link was going; the gate that Link had come from.

"Still got your eyes set on Ordona, huh?" The young swordsman remarked, also saddling up.

"Of course. Maybe I'll come back here with some pumpkins!" The merchant laughed.

"That would be wonderful!" Rowena exclaimed, putting her hands together, "They are much too difficult to grow here, unfortunately..."

"Make sure you come back to visit, okay?" Lumina said to Link, who was figuring out a way to get his newly acquired traveler's bow to sit securely on the saddle.

"Of course. Just make sure _you _stay out of trouble!" He replied, winking. Adjusting his posture on the saddle, he looked over at Aldridge, "Good luck out there."

"Same to you, kid." The merchant began down the road, giving a salute, "Don't die."

With a smirk, Link snapped the reins, also beginning down the road, "I won't."

With the travelers heading their separate ways and the two sisters in the village safe and sound, Link wondered what the remaining length of his journey had in store for him.

It was only just beginning, after all.

* * *

King Rhoam was known as many things in his lifetime. It was noted from a young age that he was a prodigal strategist, his intelligence letting him excel through multiple levels of schooling far beyond his age group. It was not long after reaching adulthood that he'd become an officer in the military, displaying outstanding tactical prowess and winning battle after battle in decisive manner. And when he'd finally succeeded his father as the King of Hyrule in his early thirties, he'd led the nation through multiple wars with their neighbouring countries, asserting such military dominance that he'd almost singlehandedly ushered in a three-decade era of peace. Now in his sixties, he was a tempered ruler with wisdom and experience far beyond most anyone in the realm.

At his advanced age, however, it was this wisdom and experience that let him easily accept that there were many things that he did not know.

"Father, please!" Zelda begged the King, pestering him as he walked through the corridors of the castle, "We need to find the hero! The war with the dark one looms and if we don't find him, then-"

"Then what, Zelda?!" Rhoam snapped, stopping his pace as he turned to look at his daughter, "Hyrule will be destroyed? By this dark one I am not even sure exists?!"

He was a tall imposing figure, his body well-built from years of military service. His square jaw was lined with a trimmed beard, and his long, slightly receding white hair was combed back so that it did not impede with his face. A different ruler than his own father, he chose not to wear a crown, valuing solidarity with his people and, unlike many kings, he chose to forego extravagant royal clothing with simple, clean clothes that allowed ease of movement. The only thing that separated him from his people was the royal cape he wore, a majestic red trimmed with white fur, the Hylian royal crest embroidered in gold on the back.

Rhoam knew many things but, even after two decades, the secrets of fatherhood continued to elude him. The fact that his daughter was the reincarnation of many other legendary princesses complicated this even further.

"I know you don't believe me," His daughter said, closing a fist. She was normally so calm and even-tempered, but whenever it came to her visions and the hero, she was uncharacteristically passionate. "But that is why I'm asking you to let me search for him myself! I'll take responsibility for it!"

Zelda was still wearing the clothes she wore for morning training, which consisted of a white blouse, brown short shorts, black stockings, and leather thigh-high boots. Her long blonde hair, which parted in two and framed her face, was tied into a high ponytail. Her trusty rapier was sheathed at her waist, still a bit dirty from training.

Rhoam sighed, rubbing his temples, "Do you have any idea what you are requesting from me, my daughter?"

The young princess stood firm, ignoring her father's exasperated disposition, "Yes. We can save resources if I search in a squad's stead!"

"You are the most important resource I have!" The King cried, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"I can handle myself, you know this!" Zelda gripped the handle of her rapier, "I train my swordsmanship rigorously everyday. And even then, Impa will be with me!"

Rhoam shook his head, "I cannot allow it!"

"But father-!"

"You are staying here **AND THAT'S FINAL!**" Rhoam shouted, his voice bellowing through the corridor. Zelda stood unwavering, her glare never leaving her father's eyes. "Go to your duties. I have a meeting I must attend." He gave her one last stern look before turning on a heel to continue down the hallway.

Zelda angrily watched her father's figure retreat into the castle, her teeth grinding as she clenched her jaw. With a huff, she jolted into the opposite direction.

She narrowly avoided the subjects of the castle she passed by as she determinedly sprinted through the hallways, leaving them with confused looks on their faces.

Navigating the castle to her room, Zelda threw her door open, stomping towards her dresser. After tearing through articles and articles of clothing, she pulled out a black hooded cloak, swiftly slipping it over her shoulders and securing the hook on the front. She then found a large messenger bag, which she began stuffing with extra clothes and supplies.

As she was hunched over at the foot of her bed, a cough came from her door.

"And where are you going, packing all that stuff?" Impa inquired, leaning on the doorframe.

Zelda snapped her head to look at her retainer and began holding onto her bag defensively, "Er… A trip? To the market...?"

The tall woman laughed, "It looks like you're going on a trip to Hebra with all that stuff you've been putting in your bag." She shook her head and began approaching the Princess, "I hope you're not planning on doing something your father wouldn't allow."

"No…?" Zelda said, laughing nervously. Impa was not having any of it and crossed her arms. The Princess scratched her head, "I was going to go out search for the hero…"

"That is _definitely_ something your father wouldn't allow." Impa sighed, shaking her head. "Do you even know where to begin looking for him?"

"My visions; they showed me a forests. I'll start there!" Zelda said, sounding like even she was unsure of the validity of her words.

"This entire nation is covered in forests." Her retainer said matter-of-factly, kneeling down on the rug with the Princess. "Without a solid lead, it could take weeks, months even. You might never even find him."

"I know it sounds impossible," Zelda began, "But I must try." She met eyes with her retainer, a determined glint in her deep cerulean eyes. "I must."

Impa closed her eyes, once again sighing in exasperation, "Such a troublesome young woman you are." She stood up and began walking towards the door.

"Impa?"

The tall woman leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms before giving Zelda a smirk, "If we don't hurry, we will never hear the end of it from your father if he catches us trying to sneak out of the city." Impa then exited the room, beginning down the hallway. "Better get to the stables!"

Zelda's face lit up, her mouth opening into a huge smile. She quickly stuffed a notebook into her bag before chasing after her.

"Coming!"

* * *

_Author's Notes/Rambles: _Obligatory Link and the tutorial chapter. This Zelda (and her look) is inspired by her Hyrule Warriors incarnation, except a little more mature. Just a little. I like that version of her because it's the only version that actually gets to work instead of being something that Link has to save, and her look that I described is going to reflect that. She will know how to fight. I also really like ponytails (lmao), so I'm keeping that too.

May be a while before the next update; lots of assignments due in the coming weeks along with a ton of work shifts. I would much rather play Smash and think about plot points and episodes for this story, but adulting is hard and time consuming.

Once again, if you are enjoying this story, thank you very much! Please feel free to leave constructive criticism.

\- _K_


	3. The Wild Hunt, I

**Pre-chapter note(s):**

Hyrulean vs. Hylian - I've made an error in the previous chapters, as I used _Hylian _to refer to both the race and the nationality. They are in fact both distinct, Hyrulean being the nationality (e.g. when referring to something/someone as Hyrulean) and Hylian being a race of people. I will make proper use of these distinctions going forward.

* * *

**3 - The Wild Hunt, I**

I awoke in a dark, moist room. The flickering flames of a few candles lining the foot of the walls gave enough light to let me recognize that it was a cave, or perhaps a very rocky building. Underneath me was a worn rug, red in colour, embroidered with strange tribal markings. I hear a drop of water, and as I look up to the ceiling, a droplet splashes onto my nose, causing me to blink.

Where am I?

Standing up, I begin following the candles along the walls, discovering that they lead further into a hallway or a tunnel of some sort - I can't tell at the moment, it's too dark. I use the wall to guide me and also to support my footing, as eventually the floor becomes a shallow staircase, almost ramp-like.

As I progress further and further down this corridor, I begin to hear the faint echoes of what sounds to be chanting. No… It is rhythmic, but there is melody. A hymn? The closer I get to these sounds, the more uneasy I feel. It is in a strange, archaic language, and its tune makes the hairs on my neck stand straight.

Eventually, I see an orange glow at the end of this tunnel. The song is much louder - this is where it's coming from. I creep up to the exit, crouching as I approach the room.

I emerge from the corridor onto a small ledge overlooking a long chamber. My hunch was right earlier, this was the inside of a cave. The chamber is set up almost like a church; crackling braziers lined up against the wall and a long carpet leading to an altar. There is an entire sect of worshippers of some sort; they wear blood red cloaks, candles in one hand and prayer books in the other, belting this hymn at the top of their lungs. On the back of the cloaks embroidered in gold is this strange symbol of an eye with a long tear drop, only upside down. Hung from the ceiling are banners depicting this same logo, along with the triangular Hyrulean royalty crest… Only that was upside down too.

Lying on the altar is a young Hylian woman, her arms shackled at the wrists and her legs shackled at the ankles. She is completely in the nude - I can barely see from my perch on this ledge but she was past the point of calling for help, tears streaming down her cheeks endlessly as she groaned from the tightness of her bindings.

Behind the altar is woman; a buxom and curvaceous figure is visible under her robes, much more form fitting than the rest of these worshippers. I can see only half her face from underneath her hood, but her skin was a light brown. She holds the same prayer book in one hand, a wicked sickle held high in the other.

A bead of sweat runs down the side of my face as I furrow my brow. It seems I've landed right in the middle of a cult's disgusting ritual. But why?

They stop singing.

The woman in the front snaps close her book, setting it down on the altar next to the girl. My eyes widen: on the back of her right hand is the same triangular birthmark that I have on my left.

"_Ahem…" _She clears her throat, the worshippers listening intently. Through the silence I can hear the faint sobbing of the girl strapped to the altar. "_We come to the end of another lunar cycle," _She has a sultry, powerful voice - one that I do not recognize but nevertheless is once again familiar, "_The full moon is when we are able to connect the closest to the chosen one - when his strength is at its height," _She waves her hand in emphasis, "_But! He has not nearly the amount of energy needed to manifest himself. As such, as his loyal followers, we must be diligent to offer him a sacrifice brimming with youthful energy, on the day when we connect with him the closest!" _

Well, I wouldn't imagine anything less with a poor girl strapped to an altar like that. I have no weapons and even if I did, charging into a room filled with crazed cultists was tantamount to suicide. I can do naught but watch in horror.

"_My brothers and sisters in arms," _The woman announces, raising both of her arms, "_Let us begin the ritual, and let us bring Hyrule one step closer to true salvation!" _

The followers begin to sing again, and the woman begins to chant something under her breath. She clasps the sickle with both hands, her robes beginning to flow as she is enveloped in a sinister energy. Behind her a magic circle begins to manifest in thin air, glowing a bright purple. A sorceress, she seems to be.

Swiftly, she brings the sickle down into the girl's stomach, blood spilling all over the altar. She runs the blade across her abdomen, making a clean, wide, and extremely deep gash. The girl screams bloody murder, her cries of wretched agony much louder than the hymn the cultists are singing. The blood flows over all edges of the altar, painting it red.

I need to cover my face as there is a sudden shockwave, the magic circle emitting a powerful force. The cult's chant grows increasingly loud and frantic. The girl is now levitating above the altar, her body writhing and contorting as her eyes roll to the back of her head. The magic circle is now constantly sending violent billows of wind throughout the chamber.

The birthmark on my hand is glowing now, as is the woman's.

Suddenly, the girl's body stops contorting, her body spread out rigid. The blood begins to defy gravity as well, streaming around the leader woman into the magic circle. A purple energy begins surrounding the girl's lifeless body as both her lifeforce and her blood is siphoned out of her. I watch with my mouth agape for the entirety of this process.

A few seconds pass, and after what felt like an eternity, the girl's lifeless body flops back onto the altar like a discarded doll. The magic circle glows brightly for a split second before fading away.

The woman is now panting heavily, hunched over the altar. "_The chosen one has accepted our sacrifice." _She announces, "_He is nearing rebirth!"_

In unison, the crowd of cultists cheer.

"_Neither the Princess nor the false hero will stop the rise of the chosen one." _She scanned the crowd, "_But we must make sure they cannot try. We must search harder!" _

The crowd once again cheers, but it is an energized cheer.

"_The chosen one has your gratitude. You may now return to your duties." _

The cultists then disperse and begin filing out of the chamber. A couple of members begin unshackling the dead body from the altar, presumably to dispose of it. I look over once more at the woman.

She is looking at me. Her eyes are covered by the shadow of her hood, but I can feel her gaze. Her mouth turns into a sinister grin, sharp canines glowing under the fires of the braziers as she begins to laugh.

What in the hell did I just watch?

* * *

Off the side of the road, Link was hunched over a small stream, carefully cleaning his sword. His brows were furrowed in thought, remembering the dream he had last night. While he'd had vivid and bloody dreams before, that one was particularly more unsettling than the rest. It was also the first time he'd seen anything of a cult of some sort, with that sorceress making her first appearance in his visions. It felt incredibly foreboding, considering that they may have locked eyes. He wasn't sure what the dream meant, and more he pondered about it, the more confused he became. At this point, he was unable to tell whether these visions were dreams or reality.

All the more reason to keep pressing forward.

Once he was satisfied with the blade's sheen, he flicked the water off of it and returned it to his sheath. He began walking back to Epona, who was waiting on the road, rubbing his hands together as he did so. It had begun to get mighty cold. Underneath his tunic he had added a black turtleneck undershirt to aid against the chill. Earlier in the morning, there had already been a light sprinkle of snow.

Fortunately, he was about an hour away from Faron City, where he would be able to take shelter in a warm inn for a bit. The traffic on the road had increased, further evidence of his proximity to the city, with all sorts of travelers and merchants passing him by as he trudged along. For the first time, he'd seen squads of military patrols on the road as well, clad in silver plate mail adorned with the Hyrulean royal family's coat of arms. It seems that the military's presence was much more prominent where there were more people.

Eventually, after lazily continuing down the road, he could see the high walls of Faron City above the treeline. There were throngs of people coming up and down the road in both directions, and as he neared the gate, makeshift shops at the sides of the road also appeared, merchants selling their wares to the passersby. Seagulls gawked overhead, signifying his closeness to the water.

To put it simply, Faron City was huge. The height of the stone walls alone had dwarfed the size of any man made structure he'd ever seen in his entire life. The gate itself was as tall as the wall; iron and wood doors that swung open with the operation of a pulley at the foot of the walls by the guards. In a city of this size, the guards barely kept track of people coming in and out, not even bothering to greet Link as he went through. He'd never seen this many people before, not even when large caravans would pass through Ordon. The excited chatter coming from all directions was almost nauseating.

As the largest settlement in the Faron province, home to tens of thousands of residents, it commanded most of the economic power in the region. The Zora River, both the longest and the widest river in Hyrule, ran right through the middle of the city. The river brought trade from deeper into the mainland and from overseas, with fleets of ships bringing fish, spices, furs, and other exotic goods from both directions. It was one of the main stops for sailors, and the Hyrulean navy even had a permanent fleet stationed on the banks of the river. The two largest boulevards in the city ran over the river with two mechanical drawbridges, massive constructs that were a couple of the city's signature features. Even though he was relatively distant from the ports, Link was still able to hear the gongs of ship bells.

He didn't even know where to begin. The cobblestone streets seemed to stretch on forever, multi-story buildings hugging each other tightly on both sides of the boulevard.

"Ah, Mr. Traveler, come check my wares!" Called a merchant peddling from the stand on the side of the street, holding up a vase.

"Mr. Traveler, you look like you can use some of this!" Called another merchant, dried herbs hanging from the top of her stand.

Link could do naught but to shake his head politely and hold up a hand. It was not hard to spot travelers like himself on the street, and even then he was a bit of a special case since - apart from the city guard and caravan guards - he was one of the few that were visibly armed.

As he aimlessly rounded a corner, he saw a large open space at the end of the avenue - what he assumed to be the town square. Link decided that he would find a place to lodge in this area before he began exploring the city a bit more. It was getting well into the afternoon, and he wanted to make sure he wasn't sleeping on the street once the sun fell.

Most establishments had signs hanging off the front; he made note of a blacksmith with a weapons shop next to it, as well as what seemed to be a medical herbalist.

Near the town square, as he predicted, were a multitude of lodgings for travelers. He picked one at random, trotting up the front of the building with Epona. It was much larger than the inn he'd stayed at before; very wide with four stories. An alleyway next to it also led to a large stable at the back. Shrugging, he dismounted Epona, once again tying her up to a post on the street.

With a chime, the front door swung open and he stepped into the foyer. The bottom of the inn was more of a restaurant than a commons room, raucous laughter coming from the tables of already drunk patrons. There was a small desk manned by two pretty hostesses in the corner, a very large bar at the back of the establishment, and a set of stairs which he presumed led up to the lodging areas. Here he did not feel so much out of place, as there seemed to be all sorts of travelers dining at the tables: sailors, merchants, soldiers, and even a tall Gerudo woman sitting at the bar.

"Good afternoon, sir! Welcome to the Sarina Inn." One of the hostesses greeted, waving Link over to the desk, "Have you come to stay or to dine?"

"To stay," Link replied, walking up to the two.

"But of course. For how long?" The other one spoke, flipping open the guest book, "One night is fifteen rupees, but if you stay for three or more nights we charge twelve rupees per day."

The young swordsman put a hand to his chin, thinking for a bit. He wasn't sure how long he would be in town for - originally he just wanted to pass through and see the sights, but if he found some work, he felt it would be beneficial to make some more money before heading back on the road. "Three nights, for now." He reached into his wallet, and put down the necessary coins to pay.

"Absolutely. Thank you for your patronage!" Both of the girls gave a deep bow. The wall behind them had a set of keys, and one of them turned around, thinking before grabbing Link's room key. "Here you are, sir. Room 302, on the third floor. Please bring your horse to the rear, somebody will get it set up in the stables."

"Beautiful. Thank you." Link gave the two a nod before heading back outside.

As she'd said, there was a young man working in the stables, who promptly took Epona's reins from Link.

"Be careful with her, she's a good horse." Link warned with his arms crossed.

"Ah, of course, of course, sir." The young man said, bowing earnestly. Link gave a snigger as he watched the stablehand scurry away. He wasn't much different himself not too long ago.

Deciding to check out the shops, he ducked out of the alleyway and headed back to the street, wanting to check the weapons shop that he'd passed by earlier. However, as he got back into the avenue, he noticed a large crowd beginning to gather within the square. Raising a brow, he quickly abandoned the idea of shopping and made to follow the townsfolk.

The large fountain in the square had two guardsmen standing on a crate next to it, addressing the citizens that were crowded beneath them.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" One of them announced, reading off a piece of parchment. Link, despite being a taller young man, was having problems being able to see clearly over the mass of people in front of him. He began squeezing his way through the crowd, the villagers surprisingly giving him little resistance as he did so. "It has come to the attention of the city guard that an extremely dangerous beast is roaming the forests of the north."

Link managed to get as close as he could, and upon hearing this his ears immediately perked up.

The other guard cleared his throat, continuing for his partner, "Anybody travelling that way should exercise extreme caution, as it has reportedly killed over fifty people, civilians and military alike."

"What does it look like?!" cried a worried villager.

"Unfortunately, we haven't a clue yet. There have been no survivors," the guard shook his head solemnly, "The only evidence we have is the remains the military patrols have managed to come across."

Immediately, the crowd erupted into a cacophony of worried whispers.

"We are doing our best to track this beast, but we must warn everybody again: If you come across this beast during work or travel, try to escape immediately!"

Link was about to open his mouth, but somebody had already beat him to the punch, "What is the reward for defeating it?" He looked over to his right and, surprisingly, the voice belonged to a young woman - although he couldn't really see her in the crowd.

"R-reward?" The guard repeated, stuttering. He looked over at his partner, who shrugged, "We did not take into account anybody wanting to defeat this monster…"

The crowd once again began murmuring.

"However, I suppose if you're daring to try, we can discuss a bounty in the barracks." The guard scanned the mob of people, "Does anybody else fancy trying to slay the beast of the forest?"

Link immediately raised his hand. He took a quick look around and, when he saw that no one else had done the same, almost regretted it.

"Alright. Just the two of you, then." The guard rolled up the piece of parchment he was reading off of, "That is all for the announcement."

Slowly, the crowd began to dissipate, the townsfolk returning to their day. Link once again looked over to the right, and saw the only person who hadn't left yet. She was looking right at him; most of her body was obscured by the grey cloak she was wearing, but she had pale skin and thin crimson eyes. Her long black hair was mostly hidden underneath her hood. She didn't seem like the fighting type, but even from where he was standing he could feel an intimidating aura emitting from her form.

"Come with me, you two. We'll go talk to the captain." The guard said, motioning for them to follow.

The pair followed the guards through the streets of the city, around corners and through narrow alleyways. It took almost twenty minutes to get to the guardhouse, mostly because of how crowded the streets were. The entirety of the time, both Link and the mysterious woman had said nary a word to each other, but every so often he could feel her hostile glare on his back.

They stopped at the front of gate of the guardhouse. It was an imposing building that had armored guardsmen in the front yard sparring with each other. Faron City's coat of arms was displayed proudly on the face of the building; every province had a beast associated with their land, and Faron's resident mascot was the grey wolf.

"Wait here." One of the guards ordered as they both entered the building.

Link closed his eyes, dreading the awkward silence that had befallen the two of them. They stood there for what seemed like ages, him doing his best to not look at the woman directly in the eyes, as he could feel her _still_ glaring at him.

"You." She spoke suddenly, breaking the tension. Link finally looked over at her, meeting her piercing crimson gaze, "You've avoided looking at me this entire time." He opened his mouth to retort but she cut him off, "I'm supposed to buy the fact that a spineless bastard like you has what it to takes to kill the beast of the forest?" She scoffed, her glare turning into a look of contempt.

He narrowed his eyes. _What a rude girl. _"I could say the same. I know nothing about you, and you nothing about me." Link made to stand in front of her, crossing his arms. He was hoping to intimidate her a little bit with his taller stature, but as he expected she did not back down. "You shouldn't judge somebody before they've even said a word to you."

The corners of her mouth moved ever so slightly into what almost looked like a smirk, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

The guard's voice coming from the front door made them turn their heads, "The captain will come see you now! This way, please."

She immediately turned on her heels, giving Link a small bump on the shoulder as she passed him, "I don't care who you are; just stay out of my way. This is of no concern to you."

_Yeah, right._ Link immediately followed after her, entering the guardhouse.

The inside of the guardhouse was very busy, with soldiers going about their daily activities along the ground floor. There was a large sandpit in the middle of the atrium where new a group of new recruits were learning the basics of unarmed combat. Two barechested recruits were wrestling in the sand, their sergeant coaching them as they tumbled back and forth. As they passed by, Link made a mental note that he should probably polish his own hand-to-hand combat skills in the future.

They went up a set of spiral stairs to the administrative portion of the barracks, where various officers had their desks set up to do paperwork. The captain's office was at the far end of the floor, and the guard escorting the pair gave its door a curt knock.

"Come in." Called a deep voice from inside the room.

"These are the two that want to try their hand at slaying the beast." The guard quickly led them into the room before slipping out, closing the door behind him.

They stood in a modest sized office, a large oak desk occupying a majority of the space. There were a few battered shields and swords hanging on the walls, along with the taxidermied heads of a grizzly bear and a wolf. Behind the captain were two banners: Faron City's green banner that bore the crest of a wolf, and the Hyrulean royalty banner, which bore the crest of a red bird and the triangular symbol that Link had on his left hand.

Sitting behind the desk was the captain himself. He was a large man in his early forties, with short brown hair accompanied by some stubble along his jaw. Unlike the darker, muted armor worn by the Faron City guard, he wore the same silver armor as the Hyrulean military.

The captain took a second to survey the two of them, folding his hands together as he did so. "You two certainly _look_ capable, although I've lived long enough to know that looks aren't everything."

There was a creak of his chair and the captain stood up, towering over both of the would-be bounty hunters. "This monster has been a thorn in our side for weeks, completely disrupting trade routes on the way to Central," he said, pacing back and forth, "We've had several squads go out to try and subdue this beast, yet none of them have come back alive." He sighed, shaking a head, "If I could, I would go and deal with this personally but they need me here to handle the city guard."

"Do we absolutely have no description of this monster?" Link asked.

"No," the captain began, "But, judging by some of the injuries that we've found on the fallen squads, we know that it has either very large fangs or very large claws - sharp enough to rip through an armored soldier in a single swipe."

"Have these areas been cleaned already?" The woman spoke up.

"Not yet, they're pretty deep into the forest so our squads have had trouble transporting the dead." The captain gestured to a map that sat on his desk. The two hunched over the map as the captain pointed to a couple of grid squares, "These areas here and here… Very recent, as early as a day or two ago. We have outposts set up not too far from these locations, so if you tell them I sent you, they should give you free reign to do some investigating." Link pulled out his own map, borrowing a pencil from the captain's desk to mark down the attack sites and outposts.

"So? How much is the pay?" The girl crossed her arms, "This is clearly no ordinary fiend."

"It is not." The captain made to sit on the edge of his desk, facing the two adventurers, "We'll offer six hundred rupees."

_S-six hundred?! _Link repeated in his head, his eyes widening. He wasn't even sure if his wallet could hold six hundred rupees.

"But, you must bring a trophy of the beast as evidence. A head is preferable, but a claw or hand would also do."

"Done." The cloaked girl immediately spun on a heel, exiting the room swiftly.

The two men watched her leave, the younger swordsman shaking his head. The captain raised a brow, "She wasn't with you?"

Link shook his head, "On the contrary, it seems she wants nothing to do with me."

Returning to his seat behind the desk, the captain gave a deep chuckle, "It is what it is." He took a pile of papers from the corner of the desk, scribbling down some notes, "If you need anymore information, the guards in the forest should be able to help you out. Good hunting, soldier."

Link nodded, taking this as a cue to also leave.

When he got back onto the street, the girl was nowhere to be seen. Regardless, the sun would still be up for a while and the shops seemed to be open, so he decided that he would finish gearing up before heading out to pursue the leads on the beast while the trail was still warm. Six hundred rupees would have him set for the remainder of the journey and then some, but he was now in a race against this mysterious woman. She seemed like a seasoned bounty hunter, and Link's experience in fighting fiends was limited to a handful of bokoblins and scaring away wolves while he was on the road. As he made his way through the streets towards the weapons shop near the inn, he wondered if he might have been in over his head. Fighting a beast that was formidable enough to slay several squads of trained soldiers was a challenge above and beyond some measly bokoblins.

_Time to earn my stripes. _He thought, approaching the weapons shop. It was a much quicker walk back to the avenue he was staying on, thanks in part to the people on the streets thinning out a bit. Smoke billowed out from the top of the blacksmith's building, and the weapons shop itself had a wooden sign hanging out front, a painting of a sword fading away on both sides of it. The front door was very heavy, and it swung open with a loud creak.

The inside was rather dim, and every footfall on the weathered wood of the shop's floorboards squeaked as Link approached the counter. There was the strong scent of iron and charcoal lingering in the air, a fragrance that oddly felt very calming. The shop itself was quite wide with a high ceiling, the open space being dominated by shelves and displays full of armor and weaponry. Lined up along the walls were mannequins equipped in full sets of armor; platemail to chainmail, leather to fur, and a wide assortment of accessories like bags, gloves, boots, and so forth. There were racks of swords, spears, shields, bows, crossbows - literally anything that Link could imagine, there was a variant of some sort in the shop.

A door in the rear of the shop led to the blacksmith, and Link could hear the faint clanks of iron striking iron through the walls. As he was perusing through the racks of weaponry, the shop owner had appeared from the door, taking perch behind the counter.

"Welcome, welcome!" To Link's surprise, the shop owner was a woman. She was a bit taller than himself, probably in her mid-thirties, and sported charming red hair. She was wearing a patchy apron on top of a simple flannel shirt and trousers. "What can I do ya for, traveler?"

Link hummed, "I just need an quiver and a bundle of arrows. If you've got any chainmail that's strong and light to go under my tunic, that would also be great."

"Sure thing!" The shop owner walked around the counter and began towards a rack that was next to the bows and crossbows. There were an assortment of all kinds of quivers here, in different sizes and finishes.

"Ah, I forgot to mention; I'd need to be able to have the quiver slung somewhere on my back where it doesn't get in the way of my sword or my pouches." Link undid the latch on his cloak, removing it so that she could see the set up he had going on with the gear on his back.

She did a quick look see of his gear, tugging on his sheath and belt. "Left-handed, huh? Pretty rare for a swordsman." She put a finger to her chin, "Do you really need all these pouches? I feel like one or two would do the job... Your bag seems big enough to hold any important stuff."

"Well, I guess I don't. But I thought having extra storage space would come in handy." Link said, his back still facing her.

"If we got rid of a couple of the pouches on your backside, I could get a pretty decent twenty arrow quiver set up on your belt. How's that sound?" Without even waiting for a reply, she pulled out measuring tape, getting to work on the measurements on the small of his back. "I could make it modular - you could swap them on and off as you please."

"Wha - really?!" Link had to admit, tradespeople were really incredible.

"Oh yeah, piece of cake." The woman replied, waving him off. "Should take less than an hour. Just need to leave your belt here." As she instructed, Link obliged, undoing his utility belt before handing it to her. She walked back over to the rack of quivers, pulling out dark leather quiver, with very faint flourishing on the embroidery. "How's this?" She flipped the quiver around, showing him the inside, "Notched, helps keeps the arrows secure during fast movement - running, jumping, rolling, the whole lot. Pretty nifty, right?"

"That's incredible. Don't think I've seen a quiver like this before." Partially true, only because he'd never seen a quiver in his entire life. Still, that didn't stop him from being impressed as he rotated the quiver in his hands. He wasn't sure if all weaponsmiths in the large cities were this particular about their craft or if he'd stumbled into a really good shop - either way, he wasn't complaining.

"They aren't used very often. Archers in the military care more about volume than mobility. Adventurers like yourself need to be light on their feet!" Link placed the quiver into her outstretched hand, nodding gratefully at her perceptive deduction of his needs.

"I don't suppose you guys tailor holsters for bows either, do you?" He asked, a little unsure if such a thing was possible.

She immediately understood what Link was referring to, "So you can have a bow on your back without getting in the way of your sword, right?" As expected from a professional. The shopowner laughed, giving him a big grin, "Of course, I can do that too. It might get a little awkward carrying all that gear, though."

He shrugged, "It's gonna be a pretty long journey so I wanna make sure I'm ready for anything."

"Understandable," She gestured to his sheathed sword and the straps that was attached to, "Let me take a look." He obliged, turning around again so that she could study his equipment. She hummed for a second and nodded, "I can definitely make something work. As long as you ain't carryin' a longbow around, I could squeeze a holster in next to your sheath here."

He undid his sheath and strap, handing it to her, "That would be great."

She took the belt and placed on the counter, next to the quiver. "I'll have to fashion something custom so it works in tandem with your sword." She ran her fingers the length of the sheath before nodding to herself, "You wouldn't mind if it matched the quiver right?"

"Not at all, in fact that would be preferable."

"Gotcha. As for arrows…" She led him to a shelf full of bundled arrows of different shapes and sizes, "Anything in particular catch your eye?"

Link reached for a bundle of arrows with slim heads and wicked sharp points, "These ones are harder to pull out once they've gotten into something right?"

"That's right. Pretty effective against armor too since the heads are streamlined."

"I'll grab forty of these." said Link, nodding. He placed the bundle in her hands.

"Forty? You huntin' a bear?" She asked, half-joking as she walked back to the counter.

"Something like that. I'm in for a bounty on the beast of the forest."

"Well, if that's the case, you're gonna need a lot more than some chainmail and some measly arrows." The shop owner placed the quiver down and began humming to herself.

"Oh yeah? What're you thinking?"

She reached behind the counter, dropping small milk crate full of spherical objects. "These actually came in not too long ago. Prototypes from the Gorons up in Eldin." She pulled one out; they were perfect spheres about the size of a grapefruit, wrapped in navy parchment. A metal ring hung loosely at the top.

"Is that… A bomb?" Link asked, moving his face closer to the crate.

"Yes, and no." She handed one to Link so he could take a better look, "The Gorons call them 'grenades.' Hard ceramic casing that's completely waterproof, and instead of an external fuse, you just pull this pin-" she pointed to the metal ring hanging from the grenade, "-and it starts a timer on the inside instead. They said they had 'em rigged for five seconds, but I haven't had a chance to test 'em yet."

"And then they explode...?" said Link slowly, curiously looking at the bombs.

"Well, yeah. Not sure what the yield is, though." She took back the one she gave to Link, "You wanna field test 'em? I'll give 'em to ya for cheap since I don't really know how well they work. If you're going up against some dangerous beast then you'll for sure need something with a little extra 'oomph!'"

"Sure, why not? I'll take a few, and I'll come back after I've tested them out." Link said, nodding.

"If ya aren't dead by then, at least." She said, chuckling as she placed the milk crate back onto the floor. Link couldn't help but twitch an eye at this. "Although, it would be a lot better if you did take care of the beast. This is the only batch of bombs that I've gotten since the trade routes are all messed up."

"I'll take four, then."

"All right!" She began stuffing four of the grenades into a sack, adding it to the pile of goods on the counter. "Now, let me just get you all measured up and I'll get the smithy to fit you some chainmail."

She had Link take off his gear and his tunic, getting him to pose with his arms outstretched next to the counter while she recorded his measurements. "You're really thorough." He remarked as she circled around him.

"Sure am. Might not look it from the outside but you're standing in the shop of one of Faron's best armorers. And the blacksmith next door? He ain't half bad neither." She stood up, patting Link on the shoulder, "Besides, I can tell you ain't no ordinary wanderer."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Call it a woman's intuition," She said, putting her hands on her hips, "Well that, and you gotta be some kinda crazy to be going against a manslaughterin' beast with a sword and some chainmail."

Link chuckled, "I just might be."

The shopowner stretched out her hand, "The name's Nico, owner of the best equipment shop in the city."

He accepted her hand, giving Nico a firm handshake, "Link. Pleasure doing business with ya."

"Likewise." She returned to the counter, taking inventory of what Link had lined up. Nico drummed her fingers on the counter, "Normally, this stuff would run you about a hundred and seventy rupees, but since you're a new customer and you're willing to field test the grenades for me, how's one fifty sound?"

Still quite pricey, if Link was being honest, but the quiver and the chainmail were investments for the rest of his journey so it was justified. He had brought three hundred to start off with, spent around seventy on lodgings and food, and made fifty from the emergency in the no name village from a few days ago. He would still be in a pretty good spot financially after this.

"I wasn't expecting a discount, so I would take any deduction at this point," said Link, bashfully scratching his head, "Sounds good to me."

"Perfect. Just make sure ya come back when the bounty's over and done with, yeah?" Nico clapped her hands together, smiling.

"No sweat, I got this." He began unloading the coins in his wallet; hundred rupee coins were exceedingly rare - the largest he had was a fifty rupee coin, which was a large slab of gleaming circular silver with a beautiful purple gem in the middle. The soft purple glow was enough to make a person's knees go weak, and Rhoam's embossed visage made one proud to be Hyrulean!

After Nico had gathered his equipment for tailoring, Link decided to retreat back to the inn to fill his stomach before setting out. He hadn't eaten since waking up in the morning, and he didn't want to be hungry when he was out in the field. Fighting on empty stomach spelled death for any adventurer; at least that's what he thought.

When he swung open the doors to the Sarina Inn, he was not surprised to find that it was just as populated with patrons as before. What _did_ surprise him, however, was the cloaked figure sitting alone at a table, tearing through a giant turkey leg from a platter that was overflowing with equally impressive meats.

She noticed Link the second he walked in, momentarily choking on her food in surprise before snarling at him. "Don't you dare sit here!" She shouted, catching the attention of a few of the patrons for a split second.

Link was not the instigating type, but her snarky attitude towards him earlier had compelled him to do exactly the opposite of what she'd ordered. He sauntered over to her table, pulled out a chair, and plopped onto the seat in front of the cloaked girl.

"What surprise! We're staying at the same place!" said Link, overtly jolly. He called over one of the servers, grabbing a menu so he could begin to eat as well.

The girl immediately began inhaling her food, trying to finish it as fast as possible, before choking on a chunk of ham. She began coughing violently, the piece of meat in question ricocheting off of Link's forehead. "I thought I told you not to sit here!"

"Hey, relax," He replied, putting up his hands in an attempt to placate her, "We should be working together, not fighting!"

She slammed her hands on the table, causing her plate and the utensils to rattle, "We are _not_ working together! I already told you, this bounty is none of your concern!"

"And why not? You think you can go out there and kill this beast that's already slain fifty of the military's finest? By yourself?!"

The cloaked girl stood up, her crimson eyes piercing his cerulean. The gaze was ice cold, and for a second Link felt as if she was looking straight into his soul. She grit her teeth, and for the first time, he could see the wicked sharpness of her canines. "I have to try." She said, barely audible. Leaving her platter half-finished, she began walking towards the entrance of the inn. "This is the last time I'm going to warn you: _stay out of my fucking way._" She stormed out the door, slamming it behind her.

Link, and the rest of the patrons, all watched in confusion, flinching when the door was slammed shut.

The server returned, still looking at the door, "Uh… A lover's quarrel?"

Link sighed, shaking his head, "Definitely not..."

* * *

Epona's hooves thundered on the dirt as she galloped down the road. A thin layer of mist had begun to envelop the forest, and Link did his best to bite back the chill as they made their way towards the guard outposts. It was a twenty minute ride from the city at full speed, and if he wanted to make the most out of the day then they would have to at least finish investigating by the time dusk had rolled around.

The weight of the chainmail that peeked underneath his tunic was a new sensation, but it felt comfortable underneath all his gear. The quiver he had bought was now hanging from his belt on the small of his back, and his traveler's bow was strapped in tandem with his sword, the end of the bow a bit longer than the grip of his sword. Fortunately his cloak was very spacious, so he had little difficulty maneuvering with all his gear equipped.

The forests surrounding Faron City, part of the ecosystem that was supported by the Zora River, were largely the same as those near the Ordonian border; beautiful swaths of verdant green conifers that stretched for miles and miles. It was a rich habitat for all sorts of fauna, and was especially suitable for large fiends to be hiding in.

"Slow up, girl!" called Link, pulling on the reins slightly. They were nearing one of the military outposts that he'd marked on the map, but it wasn't directly on the road - he would have to consult with the map to see how far into the forest they were stationed. As Epona slowed to a trot, he reached into his satchel, pulling out the aforementioned map. "Hmmm…" He hummed, tracing his finger along the paper, "About a click eastward." He began leading Epona off the road and into the forest.

Grass and branches crunched underneath her hooves as Epona navigated through the trees. After a bit, they eventually found a small foot trail, presumably used by the soldiers coming to and from the main road. Following it at a moderate pace, it eventually became more defined, and a distance away through the trees, Link could see slivers of what seemed to be a set of palisades.

"Halt!"

Link instantly gave a firm tug on Epona's reins, causing her to whinny in surprise as she came to a stop. The underbrush in the forest rustled, with two rangers suddenly rising from beneath the bushes. They were lightly armored, with twigs and branches strapped to their pauldrons and helmets. With their crossbows squared up directly with Link's head, they slowly made their way to the road.

"State your purpose!" One of them ordered.

Link raised both of his hands, "Just here on recommendation of the captain. I'm on a bounty for the beast of the forest."

The rangers looked at each other before nodding, lowering their weapons. "Here to investigate the attack sites, are you? We got word to expect a couple of bounty hunters."

"There was another?" The temporary bounty hunter asked, hoping that the woman hadn't come through here yet.

"Not here, no," One of the rangers replied, "But a messenger told us that a bounty hunter had come in through our other camp in the forest maybe ten kilometers out from here - a little over an hour ago now."

"Lieutenant Roland could give you some more details in the outpost. He'll be in the big tent, just ask for him." The other ranger directed Link towards the outpost, to which he quietly gave his thanks. Curiously, the two rangers retreated back into the forest, reassuming their positions underneath the brush.

It was a short trot to the palisade gate of the outpost. Link left Epona to graze near the pathway as he made his way through the encampment. The scenery here was very similar to that of the guardhouse, only on a much smaller scale. There were about six tents in total with a larger, tarp-covered area that acted as sort of a mess hall that contained dining tables and stools, as well as a fire going with a large pot atop. A larger tent near the back of the outpost was the acting operations room. Soldiers were littered about the outpost, doing chores or practicing on dummies lined up along the palisade. He guessed that there were maybe thirty or forty soldiers stationed here at the most. They all wore light and heavy variations of the standard silver military armor.

There was a soldier loitering in front of the operations tent who Link nodded to, "Hail, swordsman. You're here to see the lieutenant, correct?"

"That's right. Only briefly, though - just need some intel on the beast of the forest."

"Aye, he should be free to talk for a second." The soldier opened the flap to the tent, letting Link see briefly inside. There was a large table with a map of the region spanning the surface of it, with little figurines lined up on various parts of the map. He could also see a cot and what looked to be the lieutenant's personal work desk, covered in papers and his own belongings. "Sir, bounty hunter's here to see you."

The lieutenant was hunched over the map along with another soldier. He was around the same height as Link, only much more built. Curiously, he was wearing the same light armor as the rangers before, dark muted steel that reflected almost no light. His black hair was short and cropped, and his face was much younger than Link was expecting. "Come in."

He entered the tent, walking up to the lieutenant and giving him a firm handshake, "I'm Link."

The lieutenant nodded, "Roland. Good to meet you, bounty hunter - although I'm hoping you understand what you're getting yourself into."

"I'm aware of the circumstances." Link replied.

"So be it." Roland gestured to the map, "I'm sure the captain's briefed you already, but this beast has been taking a serious toll on our guys," He shook his head, "Soldiers been dropping like flies, I tell ya. We've got half a platoon of rangers sent in from Central to help track the monster, but the bastard is fast as all hell."

"So you've seen it then?"

"Scouts only caught glimpses of it in the middle of night. Thing is huge they say, about fifteen feet tall, walks on all fours." He pointed to a circle in the map, "Judging from the locations of where our men have fallen, we estimate it hunts in a twenty to twenty-five kilometer radius here. Rangers across the Zora think it swims across the river here-" He pointed to one of the narrower portions of the Zora River, "-and probably has its nest somewhere along the foot of Mount Koro."

Link borrowed a pencil from the lieutenant, marking his own map. The supposed hunting grounds of the beast was massive, covering a huge part of the forests north of the city, along with a sizeable portion of the forest across the river towards the base of the Faron's mountain range. Looks like it was game season, only this game was the size of a house and could tear a person apart with a single swipe. "Does it hunt animals or fiends?"

"Yes, it feeds indiscriminately," Roland nodded, "The roads are popular because of the high amounts of traffic, so you might be able to get the drop on it during the day. Otherwise, we think it roams the forest most of the night."

Link hummed, before folding up his map and returning it to his bag, "I think I got enough intel. I still need to check the previous attack areas."

"Roger that. We have rangers in the forest keeping a lookout - if you run into any, let them know you've spoken to me and they should have no problems letting you investigate."

"Got it." The lieutenant gave Link a curt salute, sending the young swordsman on his way.

Soon enough, he and Epona were back to traversing the forests. As he got deeper into the trees, they gradually began spreading out, making it easier for them to pick up the pace a little. In the late afternoon like this, the forest was still pretty dim, light having a difficult time passing through the canopy of the conifer trees. It was alive and well, however, the sounds of birds and wildlife coming from all directions, adding to the rhythmic thumping of Epona's canter. He'd seen nary a fiend, only the occasional silhouette of a deer or two between the trees.

After about ten minutes or so of solid riding, he was nearing his first site of investigation. In the distance, he could see the brightness of the sun as the forest opened up into a small clearing. However, it seems there was already company waiting for him.

There were group of a people - five or six perhaps, he couldn't tell from the distance he was at - that seemed to be searching the clearing. Pulling on Epona's reins, he brought her to a full stop, quickly dismounting as he dropped to a crouch. They were definitely not military, the lack of silver armor a dead giveaway. The girl did not seem to be among them as they looked to be all men, so he figured there was a high probability of these people being either bandits or scavengers.

They seemed to be so engrossed in their search that they did not hear Epona's hooves from where they were at, so at the moment, Link had the element of surprise should they have been hostile. Unlatching his bow from his back, he readied an arrow as he slowly approached the meadow.

Indeed, there were six scruffy scavengers, outfitted in mismatched armor that was pulled from both travelers and military. Their weapons were sharp and deadly, all of them wielding an assortment of decent swords and spears. While he expected no less, the grass in the clearing was soaked with blood, ten mangled Hyrulean soldiers strewn about, their body parts and innards scattered on the forest floor. The ruffians were gingerly looting the area, trying to find something that was still useable.

"This armor's been torn to shreds…" One of them said, flipping over one half of a dead body as he tried searching underneath its armor.

"They're military," Another one called out, searching a headless soldier's equipment pouches. This one seemed to be the boss, as he had a large silver claymore strapped to his back, along with better quality armor than the rest of them, "If they ain't got rupees they at least got some decent equipment worth takin'."

"C'mon, man, look at this shit!" A scavenger said, standing up as he threw his arms into the air, "All their equipment's either broken or chewed up! The fuck are we gonna find here?! The beast is gonna find us before we find somethin' worth sellin'."

"You ain't lookin' hard enough." The boss said, pulling out a gold chain from beneath a body's chainmail, "If yer just gonna sit there complainin', you ain't gettin' no cut of what we manage to find here."

They continued to bicker among themselves, tearing through the dead bodies. Link furrowed a brow; while he could care less about whether or not a soulless body lost its material belongings, they were messing up what potentially could have been some solid leads for the beast. _Do I get rid of them, or ask them to leave peacefully? _He pondered. For all he knew, they could be robbing people out on the road too. They probably had no problem trying to slay him on the spot. However, something inside of him told him that he should try the democratic route to perhaps avoid some unnecessary bloodshed.

Returning his bow and arrow to their holster and quiver, he slowly approached the clearing. His footsteps immediately caught the attention of the six ruffians, them standing up in unison as they turned towards him, their hands ready to draw their weapons.

"Who's that?!" The boss called out.

Link emerged from the forest with his hands out, "Just a bounty hunter. I'm looking for leads on the beast of the forest."

"You ain't gonna find nothin' here. They've all gone and died." The boss drew his claymore, "You better piss off while I'm feelin' nice. This here's our loot."

"I just wanna search the area. Maybe get some footprints or any other clue that could help catch this thing." Link was immediately put on alert as the rest of the boys began drawing their weapons too.

"What, and risk you trying to take some of our shit?" The boss gave a sinister grin, "Not happenin' kid. I'mma warn you one last time: piss off or die."

"Look, I don't want any trouble." Link said, in a futile attempt of placating the bandit, "I just wanna-"

There was the flash of sparks as he instinctively blocked a massive downward swing of the boss' claymore. He had drawn his sword without even thinking, and was now locking blades with a man much bigger than him, wielding a sword much bigger than his own. The pressure being put on him was enormous, and he could only hold for another second before he gave way, rolling across the blood smeared grass.

He just barely managed to dodge the thrust of a spear when he got up, grabbing the shaft with his right hand and yanking the bandit towards him. The ruffian yelped in surprise but it was quickly replaced by a gurgle of blood as Link jammed his sword through the man's chest.

Another scavenger came lunging at him, a decent quality sword in hand. Link used the back end of the spear to sweep the man's legs from underneath him, swiftly following up by impaling the spear through the man's stomach and into the ground. The man cried in agony, his scream echoing between the trees as he clutched at the wooden shaft of the spear that had him pinned to the dirt.

The two dying bandits laid on the grass, their blood adding to that of the fallen soldiers.

The quick display of combat prowess immediately put the other four bandits on alert, cautiously standing their ground as they pointed their swords and spears at him.

"I told you, I don't want any trouble." Link repeated, holding the grip of his blade with both of his hands. _Last time I take the 'democratic route...'_

"Too late for that, dumbass!" The boss yelled, charging at Link with his massive claymore.

The bandit boss gave a wide, extremely deadly swing, which Link just barely managed to back pedal away from. Despite the man's bulky frame and the sheer size of the weapon, he swung it with surprising finesse and agility, quickly transitioning from a horizontal slash to a vertical one, bringing it down into the dirt as Link sidestepped out of the way.

Link gave the claymore a curt and solid kick, disrupting the boss' balance for a second as the weapon was sent swinging in the opposite direction. He used this momentary loss of equilibrium to move within and past the claymore's effective range, trying to finish the boss off with a stab of his sword.

It was not to be as the man was having none of it, giving Link a boot to the stomach, sending him flying into the grass. He tumbled onto his back, alarm bells in his head going off as two of the bandits came rushing towards his downed form. Scrambling to his feet, he just managed to redirect a spear thrust, sparks flying as the head of the spear ran along the side of his blade. He used his sword to give the spear a snap, giving Link some breathing room for a split second as the bandit also lost his balance as the spear was knocked out of his hands.

A bandit armed with an axe gave a savage battlecry as he quickly closed the distance, wildly swinging at Link, who was trying to backpedal out of the weapon's reach. With a grunt, he met the axe with his sword, more sparks flying as the two weapons ricocheted off each other. The lighter weight of the weapon let the bandit recover a little earlier from the exchange and, while Link was already trying to dodge, managed to land a grazing swipe to the temporary bounty hunter's abdomen. His tunic tore open, but luckily the the axe did not penetrate his chainmail.

In a momentary lapse of focus, the bandit's eyes lit up as he registered a clean strike. Link immediately saw this, punishing his lapse of focus by slicing through the arm holding the axe, the body part and the weapon flopping onto the ground with a spray of blood. The bandit gave a blood-curdling cry, and Link immediately dispatched him by angrily thrusting his sword through the man's unarmored stomach.

Behind the bandit that was currently impaled through his sword, another ruffian was running up to him, this one also wielding a sword. With a cry, Link used all his strength to boot the bandit off his sword and send the body flying into the approaching one, causing the bandit to stumble over as he caught his dying comrade.

His cloak fluttered behind him as Link quickly closed the distance to the spearman. He hesitated for a moment, watching as the scavenger reared his spear back, ready to give a hefty thrust. As the spear got into Link's personal space, he deftly sidestepped it once again, this time stomping on the shaft and driving it into the ground. He reached forward, grabbing the spearman's rusty pauldron with his right hand, driving his sword into the man's body.

There was the ringing of metal accompanied with the wet sound of blood and flesh as Link pulled his sword out of the bandit's chest. There were only two left now: the bandit struggling to get his buddy's dead body off of him, and the boss.

"Leave him to me." The large man growled, dismissing his last underling.

Link was breathing heavily, but still stood with his sword at the ready. At this point, he was covered in dirt, bruises, and blood - his sword still dripping at the edges. He used the side of his foot to kick away a loose arm, probably belonging to a soldier, lest he trip on it during his duel with the scavenger boss.

The boss' heavy footfalls thumped through the blood soaked grass as he once again charged at Link, only this time his demeanor was much more subdued. It now seemed like he was taking the younger swordsman seriously.

As he observed the larger man closing in on him, Link took this time to evaluate the situation. The boss was larger and stronger than him, with a greatsword that could end his life with a grazing hit. From their previous clashes, he had the advantage in speed and agility, and even then not by a whole lot. He would have to using his cunning to get his way out of this predicament.

Link moved in. He deemed that he could keep up better if he stayed within the claymore's range, where it was harder for the boss to get full momentum behind his swings. He instantly realized that it was much easier said than done, as he just barely managed to bring his sword up to block an extremely powerful horizontal strike. There was a heavy clang, and the force of the claymore hitting his sword sent him careening into the air.

He managed to catch himself, rolling onto his feet, but he could still feel the reverberating sensation of metal in his fingertips. There was no time to rest, as the boss was already on top of him. As he did before with the spearman, he managed to redirect what was a potentially a life-ending downward swing with his sword, sparks flying as the claymore clipped a couple strands of his blond hair. He dashed to the side, trying to circle around to the boss's exposed flank.

In an impressive display of strength, the scavenger boss swung the claymore in a wide circle, forcing Link to immediately back off.

_No good, I can barely get close! _He thought, both combatants gathering themselves after the brief, yet intense exchange.

The boss was on his tail once again, this time wielding the claymore with a single hand, trying to slice Link with wide and wild, yet extremely frightening, swings. The increased extension forced Link to begin blocking, no longer able to fully backpedal from the claymore. Clash after clash, sparks lit up the forest clearing. Finally, Link saw a tiny opening, the boss giving a slash that was a bit too high, and he quickly ducked underneath it. Dragging his sword through the grass, he dashed towards the boss, who was wide open for a single moment.

The scavenger boss was no stranger to unorthodox tactics, and immediately knew what Link was doing. He was about ready to backhand Link into the forest, raising his free arm to smack Link on the side of the head.

_Gotcha! _Rather than following through with his slash, Link threw his cloak into the boss' face, causing him to sputter in surprise as daylight completely disappeared for a moment. There was the patter of Link's boots through the small puddles of blood in the grass as he dashed around once again to the boss's flank, putting all his momentum behind his sword as he plunged it up and through the bandit's exposed back.

Link shouted with all his might as he pushed his blade further and further, until it finally pierced the boss's chestplate, unfortunately puncturing his own cloak as well. The boss coughed once, blood splattering from his lips as he looked down at the sword protruding from his chest. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, dropping to his knees as his claymore involuntarily left his hands.

Panting heavily, Link rested one of his feet against the back of the boss, kicking the larger body off of his sword. He retrieved his cloak from the grass, now half soaked with blood, slipping it over his shoulder and redoing the latch. The last bandit was nowhere to be seen, presumably having fled during the course of the duel.

"What a mess." He muttered to himself, using the dirty rags of what was the boss' tunic to clean his sword.

Shaking his head, he finally began his investigation, surveying the clearing. If there were any footprints, they were probably trampled over during his rumble with the bandits, as most of the grass in the clearing was flattened now.

After painstakingly checking each body and body part, having long since passed the urge to throw up as he was essentially wrestling in blood for the better part of the hour, he came to a deduction.

"It has large claws and large teeth." He stated to himself, matter of factly. He then sighed, facepalming; his search of the clearing left him no better than where he'd started. He did however, manage to find a tuft of coarse grey fur hanging from one of the bodies, and that he thought might actually come in useful in the future.

Link then began searching the trees around the clearing, looking for any trail of some sort to follow. He waded through knee high bushes, tripped over a few tree roots, and got his foot stuck in a puddle of mud, before he'd finally stumbled upon a footprint.

"Finally…" He said to himself, crouching down next the oversized track. It was gigantic, about the size of the meat platter that the girl was tearing through back at the inn. What was really curious about it was its shape, wide base with four stubby toes and claws. It looked almost like a paw. He stared at it for another second before it registered in his brain, "A wolf… A giant wolf? Do they get this big...?"

The tracks led deeper into the forest, coincidentally in the same direction that the other military outpost and the other attack site was. He deduced that the wolf - what he assumed it to be and was going to refer to it as for the time being - probably had its lunch here in this clearing, before going to the next populated area to feed some more.

With a whistle, Epona came galloping to his side. Cracking his neck, he swiftly got up onto the saddle. While he was definitely a bit gassed from the scrap in the clearing, he felt that he had enough left in the tank to follow the tracks. If his guess was right, the girl had probably a good lead on the wolf by now, especially since he was caught up trying to deal with the scavengers.

Despite the sunlight rapidly disappearing, he made an executive decision to press forward with his search. With a shiver from the cold that had begun to settle more severely, Link cracked the reins, Epona taking off as they begun their descent into wild maze of Faron's northern forests.

* * *

_Author's notes/rambles: _Lots of world building here. I really enjoy being to able to imagine a deeper Hyrule than what we are usually given in the games. If you're familiar, then you can tell the mood and setting of this chapter (and the title) was inspired by The Witcher, which in itself is almost like Zelda. When writing that last battle scene where Link sons the bandits, it occurred to me that outside of the Yiga clan members and Ganondorf, Link doesn't really fight other humans, does he? Unless darknuts are also humans in super armor.

To everyone that has read this story so far, has followed, favourited, or left a review, thank you! Please continue to leave any comments or criticism.

\- _K_


	4. The Wild Hunt, II

**4 - The Wild Hunt, II**

* * *

"And so I says to meself, 'if that blasted wench runs off with that sod of a man she calls her soulmate, then I'm taking' me hard-earned rupees and findin' a better life in Central!'"

"Yet here you are, in the middle of the forest, hidin' from the law and hidin' from a manslaughterin' fiend."

A group of vagrants huddled around a small campfire, a single large tent behind them. They passed around a large bottle of mead as they loudly shared stories. Night had begun to fall, the orange and purple glow of the sky fading away as it was slowly consumed by darkness.

The man telling his story laughed, puffs of condensation rising as he did so, "Aye, and still havin' more fun than I ever did in Faron."

One of the other men shook his head, smirking, "Ye count muggin' travelers on the road as fun?"

"He was probably already a twisted cunt livin' in the city then, eh?" Another one remarked, pointing at the storyteller.

The group erupted into a chorus of laughter. At this point, they were more or less inebriated off the alcohol, having pillaged it off a destroyed merchant's cart on the road.

One of the men fell backward onto the dirt in a drunken stupor, immediately snoring.

"Ye feel that?" The storyteller said, nestling closer into his cloak, "Fuckin' freezin' me balls off."

"Aye. Winter's comin'." Another agreed, putting his hands by the fire.

"Tonight's right colder than yesterday, though."

As they sat around the fire, they could feel the temperature begin to drop steadily as the daylight disappeared. Soon, beyond the glowing light of the campfire, the forest had descended into almost complete darkness. The vagrants continued to make drunken smalltalk through their chattering teeth.

They did not notice the subtle rustling of the underbrush within the forest.

Nor did they hear the deep, primal huffs that echoed between the trees.

Nor did they see the frost blossoming on the grass and on the tips of the pine needles.

Suddenly, the man holding the bottle of alcohol placed it on the grass next to the fire, squeezing himself into his cloak tighter as he began rocking back and forth on the grass. "Is it just me or is it gettin' colder than Hebra's arse right now?!"

One of his associates shook his head, "No, you ain't imaginin' it. Look at the grass."

The grass was now covered in a layer of ice. There was a sudden gust of freezing wind and the fire was whipped out.

"The hell?!"

The clearing was nearly pitch black, the moonlight hidden beneath a large cloud. The vagrants started scrambling, trying to make a new fire as they shivered intensely from the cold. Eventually, the frost began settling on their bodies - on top of their cloaks and on the tips of their hair.

Then, there was a loud, and muffled thud. The group looked over at the sound, only to be peering into a pair of gargantuan ice blue eyes.

Blood-curdling screams echoed throughout the forest. Within the pitch black, the vagrants could barely put up a struggle as they were eaten alive and torn asunder.

And when it was all said and done, and the monster had eaten its full...

The frost had disappeared, as quickly as it came. 

* * *

Kneeled over a fallen soldier with a lantern in hand, Link ran his fingers across the tarnished silver armor that had been sliced cleanly in half. The aftermath of this attack site was largely similar to the previous one, except the grass was considerably less bothered. He managed to find a few more tracks, identical to the paw print that he'd found in the forest earlier. The wolf was very large - it was difficult following its trail as it seemed to take long and powerful strides judging from the distance between each paw print.

He debated whether or not he should turn around and just head back to the city - his investigation of the fallen military squads had turned up some important details, but none particularly helpful in finding the beast. The sun was going down and he was already having difficulty navigating the forest because of dark it had become.

Where was the girl now? Had she already gone back to the inn? Or was she hot on the beast's trail?

Sighing, Link reached into his satchel, which was splattered in drying blood, and fished out a small hardtack biscuit. Munching on the flavourless biscuit, he walked over to Epona who was waiting near the clearing and hung his lantern on a hook on her saddle. He spread open his map on the grass, placing a compass in the corner as he decided his next move.

The tracks of the beast had it moving further north from here, although he was too inexperienced to know how long the tracks had been sitting there for. The corpses in the clearing were a couple days old at most, and that meant the beast had plenty of time to relocate since then.

As he was in the middle of a bite, distant cries of agony echoed over the top of the trees. Link whipped his head towards its direction - he had his answer. Quickly folding up his map, he stuffed it into his bag, biscuit still hanging out of his mouth.

"Let's go, let's go!" He ordered, snapping the reins. With a passionate whinny, Epona reared back on her hind legs before blasting off into the forest.

They galloped through the darkness, the lantern bobbing from Epona's saddle only giving them enough light to see a few meters ahead. The need to at least catch a glimpse of the beast had completely taken over the fact that Link could have been charging into his death.

The strange feeling he'd experienced when he and Aldridge approached the camp of bokoblins in the forest near the border had manifested itself in this pits of his stomach again: It was the excitement of facing something he did not know - something that was much stronger than he.

The howls of wolves pierced through the relatively silently forest, accompanied with growls and barks. They were distant, but it was loud enough to put him and Epona on edge. She was brave, much like himself, but it was only natural that horses would be afraid of the sounds of predators.

"You can do this, girl." He whispered reassuringly, leaning over the reins to rub his steed's neck as she flew across the forest floor.

There were howls again, only this time they sounded closer. Epona's tremendous footfalls were, by no stretch of imagination, probably the loudest sounds in the forest at this time of the evening, and it did not help that he had a glowing lantern hanging off the side of her saddle. A bead of sweat dribbled down his temple as he braced himself for what might've been a pack of wolves descending on them in the dark.

Link unhooked his bow from its holster, gripping it tightly in his right hand as he retrieved an arrow from his quiver. He didn't have much practice with it, so he was depending on his apparent talent for archery to pick off any predators looking to make Epona their dinner.

Rabid barks began closing in on them. He'd had experience fending off wolves in Ordon and on the way up to the city, so he knew they were quick and persistent.

His instincts made him snap his head to the right side, where he saw a flash of grey fur streak between the trees. A large wolf maneuvered between the trees, sprinting to catch up with Epona. Link's bow creaked as he pulled back an arrow, steadying his aim as he attempted to lead a shot.

Letting the arrow loose, it whistled through the air for a split second before it pierced the wolf in its side, just as it was catching up to Epona's tail. The wolf gave a pained whimper as it tumbled into the grass.

That wouldn't be the end of them, Link was sure. He could hear the sounds of more wolves bounding through the grass, their haggard pants accompanying them. His eyes darted back and forth as he tried to get a visual on how many he was dealing with. He could see at least three between the trees, the glow of lantern reflecting off of their eyes.

"Come and get it!" Link goaded, preparing an arrow for another shot. It was truly difficult trying to keep his aim steady as Epona was barreling full speed through the forest floor, so he deemed it best to wait for an opening as he did the previous wolf.

As he expected, one of the rabid wolves leapt out of the trees, intent on latching onto to Epona. Time seemed to slow as he closed an eye, following the wolf through the air with his bow.

_Thunk! _His arrow caught the wolf at the apex of its jump, burying itself into the beast's snout! The wolf wailed as it was thrown to the side, slamming into a tree!

Link, head on a swivel, immediately drew another arrow, turning his body to the left as he sensed another wolf readying itself to attack. He had to admit, he was impressed that these wolves were able to keep chasing Epona. In the past, once he had taken out a couple of the pack, it was usually enough to dissuade the rest of the wolves from pursuing them any further. They were either really hungry... Or they were kin of the monster he was hunting.

He took a pot shot at the wolf he was aiming at, hoping to scare it off. The wolf didn't even flinch, and it took no time at all for it to gain on the pair. Once again, Link tried to steady his aim, waiting for it to get close enough for him to land a clean shot.

Just as he was about to let loose his arrow, the wolf glanced into the darkness before breaking off and retreating into the forest. It seems the wolves chasing them had all stopped their pursuit as well, the sounds of the footsteps slowing fading away.

_That's not a good omen. _Link thought, holstering his bow. He had no idea where in the forest they were now, and if the wolves were working for the monster, then maybe that was their plan all along. He swore, pulling out his compass as Epona continued to gallop. It still seemed like they were going in the direction of the screams from earlier, so he decided to bite his lip and continue forward. No use getting cold feet now - they were already knee deep in shit as it was.

It took a little more traveling until he could finally see the pale blue of moonlight spilling into a clearing. Pulling back on the reins, he decided to approach it slowly and give Epona some time to rest a bit.

As Link got closer, he could make out what was within. There was a small camp, with a single large tent. He carefully marched towards it, unhooking the lantern from Epona's saddle as he dismounted.

When he stepped into the moonlit clearing, there were already a pair of rangers investigating. _These must have been some of the rangers stationed in the forest that Roland mentioned, _Link thought, approaching them. They were crouched over a deep paw print, talking amongst themselves. The crunching of Link's footsteps on grass caught their attention, causing them to quickly stand up and turn around, drawing their swords.

"Easy," Link said, putting his hands up, "I'm chasing after the beast."

"You're in luck, cause the bastard's just run through here," One of the rangers said, pointing towards the trees, "Tracks point this way, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned around to bag our asses next."

"I'm following after it," said Link, giving a quick whistle to get Epona by his side, "Coming with?"

The ranger pair looked at each other before nodding, "Right behind you."

The Hyrule Rangers were an elite special forces branch of the regular military - they were well-versed in a multitude of combat styles, being able to utilize almost any weapon they got their hands on. They were famous for guerrilla tactics used in the wars past, with Rhoam entrusting them for assassinations of high-profile generals and rulers. Highly mobile, most rangers carried hookshots - pneumatic grappling hooks that were either handheld or were strapped to the forearm - which ensured they could maneuver effectively regardless of the environment they were stationed in.

Link had only heard of these elite soldiers in passing, and it was certainly a treat to see them in action. The hisses and whirrs of their hookshots as they bounded through the canopy overhead was truly a sight to behold. They gracefully lept from branch to branch, and it was a testament to the strength and craftiness of this beast that the rangers were having difficulty in tracking it. They were easily keeping up with Epona's strides, and a small part of him wished he could get his hands on one of those hookshots too.

An ear-piercing, primal roar suddenly tore through the forest, followed by a deafening crash. Link looked around frantically, but couldn't see anything in the immediate vicinity.

"There's a pretty big field a kilometer or so up ahead!" One of the rangers called out from above, "That's probably where it's at right now!"

It wasn't long until the group saw light flowing in from up ahead. As they got closer to the end of the trees, Link began to feel a noticeable drop in the temperature. The wind began biting at his face, even more than before, and he could feel his eyes watering.

Within minutes, they emerged from the trees, once again bathing in the moonlight. The ranger was right, the field was enormous, almost dividing the forest in two. It was freezing cold; sticking to the tips of the blades of long grass in field were crystals of frost - twinkling under the moonlight. The clouds had begun to fade away from the sky, a breathtaking view of the stars replacing them. Underneath the stars, in the horizon above the treeline, the mountains of the Faron province were clearly visible.

Link tugged on the reins to get Epona to stop, the pair of rangers landing swiftly next to them. Finally, in the middle of the field, they finally managed to lay their eyes on the beast of the forest.

Even in the vastness of the field, Link could tell the beast was huge. It was an awe-inspiring, majestic silver wolf the size of a two story building. Its ice blue eyes seemed to glow in the night. Its fur shimmered in the moonlight, and it seemed to emanate an icy haze with every huff. Beneath its feet, the ground would freeze over, a thin sheet of ice accompanying every step it took as it walked towards the figure that was in front of it.

"Her!" said Link, recognizing the cloaked figure that was standing their ground in front of the beast.

"The other bounty hunter?" One of the rangers asked, to which Link nodded.

He decided to dismount, deeming it safer if Epona stayed out of the fight. Giving her a firm slap on the behind, she snorted, rearing back on her hind legs before dashing into the forest.

The girl was pointing her sword at the beast, saying something that they couldn't make out from this distance.

"Is she nuts?! That thing's gonna murder her!" Said one of the rangers.

Link nodded, "We need to help her."

The trio looked at each other before silently agreeing, dashing off towards the imminent fight. 

* * *

Finally, she'd been stalking the wolf for hours, but Mira was finally able to see the beast she'd come all the way to Faron to kill. She'd been following its tracks for the better part of the day, almost being led on a wild goose chase, until she managed to come upon solid evidence.

Astride her trusty black stallion, the pair creeped along the wolf's trail, being able to just see slivers of its lustrous silver fur between the trees. A normal person would never be able to spot anything in this darkness, but she was far from normal.

Her ears twitched as she heard the distant sounds of rowdy laughter; it seemed the wolf had found its next meal. As she proceeded through the forest, she began to slowly make out the glow of a fire in the distance through the trees.

_Fools. _She thought, shaking her head. These people either did not realize the danger of being in the forest at night, or were confident enough that they thought they could take out the beast if it were to come. Regardless, they were a good distraction, allowing Mira to follow behind the wolf a little more closely. A shiver made its way up her spine as she began to feel the frost - luckily she had dressed warmly, anticipating both the weather and the beast's control of the cold.

She blinked, and the glow of the fire up ahead was snuffed out. She observed intently as the wolf pounced on the camp, tearing through the vagrants and swallowing them like slabs of raw meat. Mira couldn't help but feel a morbid sense of fascination as the wolf tore through the ruffians, their cries of terror and agony piercing the night.

It was soon over, almost as quickly as it had begun. The wolf pawed at some of the remains of the bodies on the ground before suddenly lifting its head up towards the sky. It turned its head towards the forest, peering into the darkness. After a moment, Mira could hear the sounds of barking in the distance. Suddenly, a pack wolves stampeded through the clearing, darting over the grass past the beast, before racing into the forest.

She gave a quizzical look in the direction they were running towards but immediately regretted it, as the beast had suddenly took off the opposite direction.

"Shit! After him!" Mira snapped the reins, her horse giving an impassioned whinny as it blasted off.

The beast was incredibly swift - it maneuvered between the trees with agility that belied its size. The tuffs of its silver fur had begun to get disappear in the distance as they were slowly being left behind.

"As if I'd let you get away!" She growled. Patting her horse on the neck, she begun climbing off the stirrups and onto the saddles, "Keep running boy, and don't stop!"

Mira revealed the hookshot built into her left forearm guard; it was a two pronged grappling hook underneath her wrist, with the device's chains wrapped around her forearm. Gritting her teeth, she waited for a suitably sturdy branch to pass by overhead.

As soon as she saw a large branch up ahead, she immediately pulled the trigger mechanism, a spurt of light-coloured gas hissing from her forearm guard as the hook jettisoned into the canopy. Bracing herself, she jumped off her horse and was jerked forward as she was reeled into the air.

She used the momentum of her launch to swing herself through the forest, somersaulting in the air as her hookshot retracted itself. Gracefully, she aimed at another tree branch up ahead, once again shooting her hookshot at it and repeating the motion.

Mira bounded from branch to branch, being able to outpace her horse by traveling through the trees. She was slowly gaining on the wolf, closing in on its form. At this point, the beast had taken notice of both her and her horse that was further behind, as it would glance backwards every couple of seconds.

It didn't matter - once Mira had her sights set on a target, they weren't getting away, even a beast like this.

The beast zigzagged between the trees, trying to shake its pursuers. She was persistent, never losing a step as she grappled from branch to branch. Soon, she was close enough that she could feel the frost that was dispersing from its body.

"Gotcha now, you son of a bitch!" She did another flip through the air as she shot her hookshot at the beast, the claws embedding themselves into its back. She flew towards the wolf, unsheathing the sword strapped to her own back as she did so. It was a Shiekah eightfold sword - long and curved with a single edge, its black metal gleaming as she charged towards the beast.

Grunting, she slammed into the beast, clinging onto its fur as it tried to shake her off by running erratically. Mira mercilessly impaled the back of the beast with her sword, causing the wolf to give a pained growl before slamming into a tree.

"Oof!" She was thrown off the beast's back, but was still hanging off of its side from the handle of her sword. The freezing cold of the wolf's body was gradually making it more and more difficult to keep her grip on the sword's handle as the wolf began sprinting even harder.

Suddenly, there was the barking of more wolves in the forest. She was blindsided by a predator leaping from the trees, latching onto one of her legs with its fangs. Mira cried in pain as the wolf was dangling off of her calf.

"Get off of me!" She growled, stomping on the wolf's snout with her other leg. She could feel her grip on her sword beginning to slip, along with the blood running down her leg starting freeze over. Using the some of the last of her remaining vitality, she managed to give the wolf one more brutal kick, sending it tumbling onto the forest floor with a whimper.

Admiring her handiwork for a second, she then began trying to reestablish her position on the beast's back. Her knuckles were numb now, and Mira could only do her best to fight back the pain. With a heave, she hoisted herself back on top of the beast, who was still barrelling through the forest. Gritting her teeth, she gripped the handle of her blade and ran across the beast's back, slicing open a nasty gash that sprayed blood.

The wolf definitely felt this - it gave a deafening primal roar, violently stopping in its tracks before diving into some trees. Mira was thrown off her perch like a ragdoll, skidding across the forest floor covered in branches and mud.

Having the wind knocked out of her, she barely had time to scramble to her feet to avoid getting flattened by a tree that was falling over. Clutching her side, she just managed to outrun the mass of foliage that was crashing onto the forest floor, doing one last roll to get out of the way. There was a resounding boom, along with a thin cloud of debris that filled the air.

Groaning, Mira peeled herself off the ground, using her sword as support. The beast, who was also momentarily on the ground, picked itself up rather easily. The gash that was bleeding profusely on its back had begun to freeze shut, twinkling pink crystals of ice mending it together. She knew it was not going to be easy to take this thing down.

The beast began retreating towards the opening in the trees up ahead and Mira immediately began following suit, ignoring the injuries she'd sustained from getting thrown off of a twenty foot tall beast. She began sprinting, trying to hookshot herself back into the canopy, only to find out that her hookshot had broken during the fall. It would give an unsatisfying click every time she'd pull the trigger mechanism, and she bashed it a couple times with the pommel of her blade hoping to get it to work.

Swearing, she ignored it for now, ducking her chin as she pushed herself to run faster. She was too close now to let it get away. The wolf seemed to be labouring as its wound healed itself, so she hadn't lost sight of it just yet.

She emerged out of the forest and into a huge, verdant field. The beast seemed as if it awaited her, standing in the middle and following her form with its blue eyes. The moonlight illuminated its silver fur, and if she wasn't so hellbent on trying to kill it, she might have even thought it looked dazzling.

Pointing her blade at the beast, she ignored the cold aura emitting from it's body.

"After all this time, I've finally managed to track you down. All these years, killing all these people, a blight on the name of our family and our village." She shook her head, transitioning into a fighting stance with her sword. The wolf seemed to listen, but she couldn't tell as the expression on its gigantic visage had never changed.

"Now it's your turn… Father!"

Mira blasted off from her spot in the grass, zipping across the field with her sword raised. The beast huffed, mist escaping from its nostrils, before also lunging at her with its gigantic claws. There was the sound of metal screeching as she deflected its attack, ducking underneath its gigantic paw. She managed to land a grazing slash to the wolf's chest, before having to get out of the way lest she was crushed by the other paw of the beast.

She was immediately met with the sight of its gigantic fangs, once again rolling out of the way before she was made dinner. Like a blur, she dashed towards the side of the beast, giving it a clean slice on the side. The beast attempted to swat her with its tail, but she was saavy enough to gracefully hurdle over it. Mira would need to give the wolf a relentless close range assault in order to survive the battle. The frigid air was biting at her skin, and the frost on the ground was making it difficult to find footing, but she'd been trained to fight in much more arduous environments.

Steeling herself, she once again dashed at the beast, sliding underneath another swipe from its claws. Stabbing her sword into the beast's chest, she gave a primal battle cry as she ran her sword through the wolf's abdomen, blood spilling out from the wound. She emerged from underneath the beast's hind legs, rolling out of the way to avoid another tail whip.

The wolf roared before pointing its snout to the sky. The air above the wolf began to crystallize, icicles materializing from the moisture in the environment. All at once, they shot towards her like a deadly rain of arrows. She began running, trying to zigzag to avoid getting impaled while also using her sword to try and block any that had strayed to close. She did her best, but a stray icicle sliced through her arm, a slight spray of blood accompanying it. She bit back the pain, charging towards the beast as soon as the barrage ended.

It would not let her get close again so easily. The beast howled, jumping into the air in an attempt to flatten her. For a second, the moon was covered up by the wolf's airborne form, and she barely had time to roll out of the way as it crashed into the ground, leaving a crater where she was standing before.

Making sure she gave the beast no time to recover, she was already sprinting back in, mirroring the beast by jumping into the air. If she get onto the beast's back again, she could deal some serious damage without it being able to fight back. The wolf was immediately aware of what she was trying to do, swiping at her with its claws.

She gritted her teeth as she just managed to avoid getting cleaved in half, a clang echoing through the field as she blocked the slash with her sword. Unfortunately, the force from the swipe was so massive, it swatted her out of the air and sent her rocketing into the ground.

She crashed into the ground, her impact making a small crater and kicking up a light cloud of debris. Mira had the wind knocked out of her, and she could see birds spinning around in her vision as she floated in and out of consciousness. Coughing up some blood, she tried to pull herself out of the dirt - to no avail. The beast was now sprinting towards her, intent on making her its last meal for the day.

_Is this it? _She thought, as the wolf began filling her vision and the cold started to settle on her skin. She spent her whole life training to become a warrior - to bring honor to her humble clan and village. And now she'd thrown that all away on her quest for vengeance.

She could feel the beast's cold breath as it loomed over it. It opened its maw to swallow her…

_Bang!_

There was the loud crack of a small explosion, more dirt and debris flying into the air as the beast recoiled in pain. Mira blinked the soil from her eyes, and saw the side of the beast smouldering as its fur and skin were seared off from the blast.

Through the ringing in her ears, she could hear the hiss and snaps of hookshots, two rangers flying into the beast with their swords drawn, delivering two synchronized slices as they zipped over the wolf. The wolf roared angrily, immediately turning his attention to the rangers, chasing after them.

Instead of a giant wolf looming over her now, it was replaced by the young man she'd heckled back in the city. "Can you walk?" He asked, tugging on her arm as he tried to pull her up. His blue eyes seemed worried, but she couldn't really tell through her lightheadedness.

"D-don't need… Your help..." Mira managed to make out, indignant even in injury. Her words betrayed her body, as she made no move to protest him swinging her arm around his neck.

"Save it." He grunted, helping her limp back towards the direction of the trees, "You would've died if we hadn't come when we did." She didn't immediately respond, instead deciding to hide her face underneath her cloak for the time being as she regained her energy.

With her arm slung around his shoulder, the pair limped back to the treeline while the rangers kept the wolf occupied. She could hear the sounds of fighting behind them, but only just barely as her ears were still ringing from the explosion earlier. Mira coughed, a splat of blood escaping her mouth. She guessed that one of her ribs might've cracked from crashing into the ground, but at this point her whole body was in pain.

The young man carefully propped her up against a tree, patting her on the shoulders. "Stay here," He advised, noting the blood smeared all over her face and clothes. Through her half lidded eyes she could tell that he'd had his own share of bumps and bruises, and he was almost as dirty as she was. "And don't do anything stupid."

He took one last look at her before drawing his bow to head back to the fight.

_That's my line, idiot. _Unable to muster up the energy to voice her cheekiness, Mira felt her eyelids become heavy, soon succumbing to slumber. 

* * *

By all accounts, the girl was head and shoulders a much better fighter than Link was. He had neither the speed nor the skill, but he would have to make it up with craftiness. The rangers were equally as impressive - they gracefully coordinated an assault from all angles, zipping around it with their hookshots. What he did notice, was that attacks from conventional bladed weapons were only have a temporary effect, as the beast would close up most wounds that it got with its ice.

The blast from the grenade however… The beast was having trouble mending that, a large gnarly burn still present on its side. _Gotta hand it to the Gorons - they sure know their stuff when it comes to blowing things up. _He only had three left, and he'd have to make them count.

A ranger soared over the beast, his hookshot tethering him to the wolf's body. There was a hiss, and he divebombed towards the monster with his sword reared as his hookshot retracted itself. At this point, the wolf was tiring of the constant onslaught from the ranger pair, its body covered in cuts and blood. As the ranger passed above its head, the monster gave him a quick, almost invisible swipe. In the blink of an eye, the ranger smashed into the dirt like a fly, blood splattering from his body.

Link stopped his approach for a second to cringe. The ranger was not moving from that, and Link could only guess that the man was dead. It was very similar to what happened to the girl, except he had the misfortune of taking the full brunt of the attack.

The other ranger, ever a professional, seemed unphased by his partner's apparent demise, motioning for Link to begin attacking.

The young man did as instructed, immediately firing a potshot that lodged itself into the wolf's side. This got the beasts attention, and it roared, turning its attention to Link. He sheathed his bow for now, bracing for the beast's attack. It bounded across the grass with astounding speed, intent on turning him into sliced bread. The approaching form of the giant made him gulp audibly.

_Can I do this? _Link thought, twirling his sword a couple times. As the moon gleamed off the wolf's claws and glistened off the crystals of ice forming on its wounds, he felt that sensation welling up in his body again.

He met the claws of the beast directly with his sword, sparks lighting up the field as he redirected the massive paw of the wolf. Link gave a passionate battle cry as he delivered a slash to the chest of the beast, similar to the girl's earlier, and rolled out of the way. He quickly sheathed his sword, pulling out his bow as he fired a shot on the move, adding another arrow to the beast's body.

There was the snap and whirr of a hookshot, the ranger flinging himself over the wolf, going for its now exposed nape as it still had his attention fixated on Link. Twirling, he delivered a magnificent spinning slash, blood spraying from the back of the wolf's head as it roared in pain, dropping on a paw.

Pulling the pin of a grenade, Link sprinted up to the wolf, sliding underneath its body as he left the explosive on the grass and emerged on the opposite side, still running as he tried to clear the blast radius. Another sharp bang resounded through the clearing, more smoke and debris spreading in the air as the wolf whimpered, blood spilling from its abdomen like a bucket tipping over with water.

"Finish it off!" The ranger ordered, once again firing his hookshot into the wolf's body. Link nodded, dashing across the grass after the ranger, intent on jamming his sword through the wolf's head.

Link felt a sudden pulse of energy, and time seemed to slow as he pushed himself to run. With alarm bells going off in his head, he forced himself to stop, the wolf's body suddenly erupting with powerful energy wave, glacier spikes jettisoning around its body outward. The energy wave knocked Link off his feet, putting him on his rear on the grass as he could only watch helplessly as the ranger was impaled by a mass of icicles.

"Goddesses…" He said under his breath, blinking as he was unable to believe what he saw. The ranger was hanging lifelessly, a large spear of ice dripping with blood through his back.

Picking himself up, Link held his sword cautiously as he approached the glimmering mass of ice in the middle of the field. Suddenly, the surface of the ice cracked, causing him to halt his approach. The cracks began snaking all over the block of ice, with smaller pieces eventually falling off one by one. There was another burst of energy and the mass of ice shattered, shards of ice shooting out in all directions. Link had to hold his sword in front of his body to shield the ice particles flying his way.

When the wind died down, emerging from the pile of shattered ice was the beast - only now it look substantially different. It was half the size as before, a bit smaller than a full grown bear. Instead of fur its body consisted of blocks of ice - almost like armor - and its body looked even more sleek than before. Its footsteps thumped on the grass as it walked towards Link, its once beautiful blue eyes replaced with a menacing crimson. Its deep breaths echoed through the clearing, the ice forming underneath its feet even more severe than before.

Mentally taking inventory, Link steeled himself for what could've been his last fight. He had maybe eleven arrows and couple of grenades left. The beast had undertaken a magical transformation, and whatever aura it had generated before was twice as strong as before.

There was a burst of white mist, and the wolf exploded from its spot, zipping across the grass with blinding speed, a trail of ice and snow behind it as it galloped through the grass. Link was not able to cleanly block its pounce, the beast's teeth tearing through his tunic and slicing through his chainmail, blooding spraying as a gash split open on his chest.

He had no time to register the pain, as he just barely managed to stop his jugular from getting ripped out, his sword caught inside the wolf's maw as it deftly turned on the grass to jump him again. He came to face to face with the icy visage of the wolf, its freezing breath spraying on his face as he struggled to overpower it. With a grunt, he ducked underneath it, letting the wolf fly over him as he rolled out of the way.

_Again! _He thought, his instincts commanding him to bring his sword up. The sound of metal grinding on ice cut through the clearing as his sword ran across the surface of the beast's belly, dealing no damage but letting Link avoid damage of his own, as he once again ducked away from the wolf.

In a moment of respite, the two stared at each other for a second, before lunging at one another again. Link brought his sword down, stomping as he gave a fierce downward slash. To his surprise, the wolf respected his attack, maneuvering out of the way, but still getting caught as the sword grazed its armor. Chunks of ice flew off the wolf's body, and it growled as it used momentum to backhand Link in the stomach. He had the wind knocked out of him and he was thrown to the side, flecks of spit flying from his mouth as he tumbled across the grass.

Link slapped a gauntlet on the ground as he scrambled to his feet. _I got a hit in! _He thought to himself encouragingly.

The wolf was quick to get back on the move - it was swift, but Link was beginning to understand its tendencies. With a little less effort, he slapped the wolf's claw away with his sword; its strikes were much sturdier than before, but they lacked the considerable strength that was present when the wolf was still a giant. With some impressive footwork, he maneuvered to the side, giving the wolf an upward cleave. This hit was much cleaner, more ice crumbling off the wolf's body.

Dashing backwards, the wolf dug into the ground, pointing its snout to the sky as it seemed to gather energy again. He remembered this attack from when the girl was still fighting, and he was not going to get caught in a rain of ice shards. He stuck his sword into the frost-covered grass, immediately pulling out his bow. After focusing for a second, he took a shot at the beast's face, the wolf snapping its head back as it recoiled from the impact. The mist gathering above it dissipated in an instant, the arrow not dealing any noticeable damage but bothering the wolf enough to stun it for a second. Link was already on the move, dropping his bow as he pulled out a grenade.

Stomping again, he gave the wolf a devastating downward slash. "Hyaahh!" He cried with all his might, the ice on top of its head shattering as he brought his sword down. For a moment, the wolf opened its mouth in pain, and he immediately popped the grenade into its maw, already live as he backpedaled out of the way.

_Bang!_

The grenade reaped another small explosion, forcing Link to cover his face as soil and ice was sent into the air. Picking his bow back up, he immediately drew another arrow, readying a shot as the cloud of smoke was dissipating.

Incredibly, the beast was still up, albeit hunched over on its front paws. The entire front half of its face was missing, blood pouring like a fountain from what used to be its mouth, now a mangled mess of flash, ice and bone. Its maw was permanently open, its jaw no longer on its face, and the single crimson eye still in its socket looked like it was unsure of what had just happened.

Ice began forming around its face, trying to mend the gruesome damage it'd just received. Footsteps behind Link made him turn around, swinging his bow to face the newcomer.

It was the girl, limping towards him as she used her sword for support. Link's eyes widened when he saw she was no longer wearing a cloak.

"You're… A taguel?" He said in a whisper as she hobbled past him. She wore exotic clothing - form-fitting black spandex underneath a loose and robe-like eastern-style jacket. She was wearing loose pants, and along her wrists and shins were the only things resembling armor: metal guard plates, with a broken hookshot strapped to her left wrist. Atop her silky black hair were a pair of black wolf ears, splashes of white at the tips, and flowing behind her was an elegant wolf tail, a splash of white at the end of that as well.

If Link remembered correctly, the taguel were an incredibly rare race of people from Necluda, descendants of ancient Shiekah shapeshifters that could transform into powerful beasts. They almost never left their homeland in the mountains of Necluda, and in the wars of centuries past, they, along with the Shiekah, were invaluable allies to the Hyrulean throne. To cross paths with one in his lifetime was something he would've never thought possible. Barely anybody knew a thing about them, only their ancient history that was written in scrolls and textbooks.

The beast was taking deep, labored breaths as she approached it, unable to move from the damage it has sustained.

"Hey, be careful!" Link called out, his words obviously having no effect as she continued to limp towards it.

"Retribution." She whispered, a sinister grin creeping onto her face. Standing in front of the wolf, she raised her sword. She then held the side of its bloodied head, slowly running her blade through its exposed maw and into its skull. With a crank, her sword bursted out the back of the beast's head, causing it to lurch over as its legs gave way. The girl stepped to the side, the wolf slamming into the ground in a heap.

She did the same, crumbling to her knees, her sword stuck to the ground as she loosely held onto the handle.

Link let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding, returning his bow to its holster and his arrow to its quiver. He had no idea what in Hylia's name was transpiring but decided to check on the girl anyway, his good-natured instincts taking over.

"You alright?" He said, kneeling next to her.

"That was for mother..." She whispered again, barely audible.

There was a strange sizzling sound, and Link looked over to the wolf's body to see that the ice on its body began to dissipate. Steam was rising from its body, and he couldn't believe his eyes as it seemed to transform in front of him. After shrinking and shrinking, the wolf's body had been replaced with that of a nude man - missing half of his face, still - with black hair and the same black wolf appendages that the girl had.

"_Mira…" _came a disembodied voice. Link furrowed his brows as he frantically looked around, unsure of where it came from. "_I'm… Sorry…"_

There was a sniffle, and he looked down at the girl next to him. She still had that creepy smile on her face, but tears had begun rolling down her cheeks. "You bastard," She said softly, "You can never atone for what you've done."

Link sat silently, making sure not to overextend by saying any words of comfort to her. In the end, he was just here on business, and it was clearly personal for her. The body of the taguel man eventually started to sizzle away as well, shriveling up, before fading into a mist of mana and energy.

He followed the wisps of energy with his eyes as they rose to the sky, disappearing before an endless swath of stars. He sighed, shaking his head.

_Well... There goes the bounty.  
_

* * *

"_Papa! Papa!" _I call, running up the front steps of the house, throwing the door open. With a pile of apples in my arm, I bound through the house, my small footfalls echoing in the hallway as barge through the backdoor and into the yard, an apple or two spilling over as I do so.. As usual, father is training a couple of the young warriors in the village, instructing them on their swordsmanship with their katanas.

"_Mira!" _He greets, laughing, kneeling down as I approach him. "_Are these for us?" _He says with a smile, ruffling my hair before plucking an apple from my arms.

I give a great grin, "_Mhm! I climbed the tree to pick these!"_

He laughs again, motioning for the students in the yard to come and take some. "_Your mother has told you countless times that it's dangerous to go climbing the apple tree."_

He was a great man. He had long black hair, with matching black ears and a tail to match - just like mine. His crimson eyes were always filled with kindness, and he was known in our village as a reliable, well-knowing teacher.

Hibana village - our home. It was a small haven for the taguel people, hidden in the valleys of the Necludan mountains, not too far away from Kakariko. All around, beyond the houses dotting the hills, you could see the towering peaks of the mountains, the white and pink magnificence of the sakura trees that bloomed eight months in the year, and the beautiful Hyrulean sky.

It was peaceful and beautiful. We were a proud race of people, filled to the brim with the honor of our Shiekah blood.

And yet…

One by one, the villagers start disappearing. In the blink of an eye, the village is suddenly on fire, pillars of smoke pluming into the sky. I am older now. The apples in my hand disappear, and is instead replaced by the bloodied body of my mother. Even in death, she is beautiful, the long silky hair that I inherited spilling over her face. She reaches up a gentle hand to my face, running a finger along my cheeks that are flowing with tears. She does not cry.

"_Mira…" _She says, her voice hoarse, "_You must live… Even if we do not…"_

"_Mother!" _I sob, clutching onto her body.

"_Go… It is no longer safe here." _She whispers, her hand beginning to lose strength, "_I… Love you…"_

I barely have time to mourn her death, as the yard is suddenly filled with masked figures. They wear dark red clothing, their faces obscured by the white masks bearing the false Shiekah emblem… Those worn by the Yiga clan.

"_You'll pay for this...! All of you!" _I roar, unsheathing the katana on my back.

They charge at me with their katanas and their sickles, but I've learned from the best. I deflect their attacks with ease, cutting them down in sprays of crimson. There is a special place in hell for these bastards, who've snaked so far out of their hole to assault the village. After dealing with the last Yiga footsoldier, I walk over to mother's body, kneeling over her as I look at gentle face one last time. They will pay.

I head into the streets of the village, where fierce fighting is heard all around me. Corpses litter the roads, some taguel, some Yiga. There were so many of them. To top of their relentless assault with blades, many of the Yiga were sorcerers, controlling the elements to attack with black magic. It is utter chaos, our once beautiful village turned into a warzone, explosions and clashes heard from every corner.

How did it become like this? It was peaceful for over a century. We were so deep in the mountains that we never thought anyone would find us.

When I got to the foot of the mountain, to the gates of the village, I found my answer. Standing atop the village walls was sorceress, her figure partially obscured by a cloak. With a scepter in one hand and a tome in the other, she seemed to be ordering her soldiers around, telling them where to attack. I couldn't see her face, but I could see the tanned skin that hid under her cloak.

The unaging Yiga matriarch, the sorceress Cia. Once a divine priest serving Hyrulean royalty, she was corrupted by an ancient evil, stealing away the Triforce of Power. At least, that was how the story that my mother had told me went. For her to show up in person, to lead an assault on a humble village such as ours, she must have deemed the taguel a true threat. Standing next to her however, was what appalled me the most.

"_F-father…?" _I say, dropping to my knees in front of them, "_But why?" _

There he stood, arms crossed, next to Cia. A malevolent energy radiated from his body. The sorceress leaned back, giving a huge laugh.

"_Hahahaha! This one is your father?!" _She says, putting a hand on his shoulder, "_He was more than willing to give up where you nasty furballs were hiding." _

I draw my sword, growling, my tail whipping behind me angrily, "_You're controlling him?! Let my father go!" _

She shakes her head, "_I'm sorry dear, but I'm afraid he came to me of his_ _own volition."_

"_Mira…" _Father says, drawing his own katana, "_You're too naive to understand." _He drops down from the wall, taking position in front of me. "_This world we live in… It is nothing but false peace. When you get older, you will know." _

"_That's bullshit!" _I cry, tears once again running down my face, "_That's all it takes to destroy the village?! To kill mother?!" _

"_Death is a preferable alternative to what awaits this realm." _He states solemnly. "_Enough. Kill me if you can, Mira. But I stand by what I've done." _

Fury clouds my vision, blood escaping from my lips and bite down on my lip in anger. "_You… You bastard!" _

I charge towards him, sprinting as fast as I can. I slash at him, only to miss completely, my sword swiping at the air. He gives me a grazing slice across the abdomen, causing me to wince in pain as blood begins dribbling down my torso. Growling, I ignore the pain, charging at him once again. There's a clang as my sword meets his - I look directly into his eyes, the warm gleam in his pupils replaced by one of cold relentlessness. He gives me a curt kick to the chest, sending me flying into the dirt road.

"_Mira!" _A battlecry erupts from around me, my taguel brethren pouncing onto the streets. One by one, they attack him, sparks flying as he deftly parries their attacks. This exchange goes on for a few moments, until he is completely overwhelmed by the volume of their strikes. He lets his guard down for a split second, soon being impaled through the chest by a multitude of swords.

Cia laughs from atop her perch on the walls. "_And now… This is where it gets fun." _Her scepter glows with magic, and she points it at father. The malevolent energy around him glows, and there is a violent shockwave of energy, throwing all of the taguel swordsmen - and myself - off our feet. With the swords still sticking out of his chest, he roars, the magic enveloping him. Then, in a bright flash of light, his body erupts into a mass of ice.

The temperature around us drops tenfold, the air standing still as the sounds of battle from the village become muffled out. There is another shockwave, the iceberg exploding, sending shards of ice flying in all directions. I take the full brunt of the force, pelted with icicles that rip through my skin.

And then, standing where the ice used to be, is a giant silver wolf. I sit, battered and bloody, partially in awe and partially in fear. The taguel had long since lost their abilities to fully shapeshift into beasts, and legend foretold that every one of us had a powerful beast form unique to each individual. It seems her dark magic had brought out his latent abilities.

I could only stand and watch as it massacred the villagers, using its tremendous strength and ice magic to tear through us.

Dropping to my knees once again, I resent my powerlessness, burning the image of the fires and the suffering of my kin into my brain. Barely clinging onto life, I heed the last words of advice my mother gave me. 

I ran. 

* * *

Mira gasped for air as she sat up, throwing the covers off of her. She immediately regretted this, as her entire body erupted in hot pain, her head pounding as she clutched her face. Her black hair matted to her face, her body dripping with a cold sweat. It took her a second to process that she was sitting in a bed, gauze wrapped tightly around her arms and torso.

"The inn…?" She asked herself, surveying the room she was in. It was very dim, the only light coming in from a window next to her bed. There was a single desk and chair, and a bookcase tucked away in the corner of the room. Her ears twitched as she tried to listen to her surroundings; it didn't sound like there were a lot of people in this building. Not the inn. If so, where was she?

Groaning, she flopped back into the bed, staring at the ceiling. She'd relived her past again in that vivid dream, and it was definitely timely considering that she and that bounty hunter had killed what used to be her father not too long ago. It was the last thing she remembered, but if she was wrapped up in bandages and sitting in a cozy bed, then there must have been some time that had passed since then.

Her ears twitched again as she heard footsteps coming from beyond the door. On cue, the doorknob turned, a middle aged lady entering the room. She had a lantern in one hand and a pile of rags on the other. She placed the lantern on the table, illuminating the room, allowing her to notice that Mira was awake. Following in behind her was the bounty hunter from earlier.

"Finally awake, are you?" He asked, holding a bucket filled with steaming water. The lady took the bucket from his hands, sitting at the side of the bed as she began wetting some of the rags.

"Where am I?" Mira asked, making no move to protest the woman as she began undoing her bandages.

"The doctor's building down the street," The young man replied, taking a seat, "You've been out for a few days now."

"You brought me here?" She asked, wincing as the nurse began cleaning the cuts on her arm.

"Yup. Wasn't gonna leave you out in the forest like that." He reached into his satchel, pulling out a small pouch, the tinkle of coins ringing from within. Placing it on the table he looked over at her, "Here's your half. Unfortunately, the captain could only pay us half the amount because we couldn't bring him a trophy."

Mira looked down at the bed. She'd almost forgotten that they were supposed to get paid for the job.

"Brought you something else, too." Fishing into his bag, what he pulled out next actually made her raise her brows in surprise. He placed a forearm guard with a hookshot next to the bag of rupees, "Borrowed this from one of our deceased rangers pals, and I thought that you might be needing it more than him."

When she looked closely, she could see that he too had a hookshot equipped to one of his arms, only on the right. _A left-handed swordsman. Pretty rare. _

"... Thanks." was her curt reply.

"Don't thank me, you still need to pay the medical bill, after all." He said, chuckling a bit.

"I'm going to need you to leave the room, sir." The nurse stated, keen on cleaning the wounds on her chest.

"Alright. Sure thing." The young man turned to exit the room, only to stop as Mira held up a hand.

"Wait," She said, causing him to turn back around and cross his arms, "What's your name?"

He raised a brow, "_Now_ you wanna know who I am?" Mira opened her mouth to say something snarky, but thought better of it. Gratitude must be given where gratitude was due. The young man sighed, scratching his head, "Link. The name's Link."

She nodded, "I'm Mira. Thanks… For your assistance." She furrowed her brows, unsure of what to say, "That monster… I…"

"It's alright, I understand. You said a lot of things in your sleep." He smirked, turning back towards the door, "I'm in town for a couple more days. If you're feeling up to it, you can tell me back at the inn."

Without saying anything more, he left the room, the door shutting behind him. The nurse immediately began getting to work, shoving rags into the cuts across her chest.

"O-ow!" 

* * *

In the bustling port of Faron City, Link held Epona's reins as he led her through the throngs of people going about their day. Massive ships lined the marina, the gongs of their bells ringing in the air as sailors marched across the gangplanks carrying crates of goods. Mira had mentioned that the most efficient way to get to the Central province this time of the year was to board a ship sailing upriver.

With his wallet newly filled with coins, he had to agree. It was already snowing a little bit, and he could only imagine what a nightmare it would be getting caught in a snowstorm in the middle of nowhere. While Central was a bit further up north than Faron, its climate was, for the most part, a bit more mild. It would for sure still be cold once he got up there, but it was nothing like the elevated forests of Faron.

The snow reminded him of the wolf they had slain a few days earlier. Her attitude towards him had become much more subdued, being able to converse a little more amicably with him. Just a little. She'd told him a bit of the backstory of where that wolf had come from, how her village had gotten slaughtered. He emphasized with her a lot - the main reason he'd set off on this journey was so that he could one day prevent something like happening to his village.

Apparently, because the wolf had been roaming on its own for so long, it had lost any semblance of human intelligence, truly devolving into a wild beast. Maintaining beast form inherently used a lot of mana and lifeforce, partly why taguels were no longer able to shapeshift. This gradually weakened the beast over time, and she explained that it was probably why they were able to take it down.

Regardless, the battle bolstered Link with a wealth of new experience, making him feel like he was slowly becoming a better swordsman. Of course, Nico and her grenades did a lot of heavy lifting, and she was happy to see that he'd made it back in one piece. He made sure to stock up on more arrows and grenades before he hit the road, and she mentioned that if he ever made it Central, she had a relative working in the city that would be happy to help him with his equipment.

Walking up to one of the large merchant ships, he approached what looked to be the captain smoking his pipe over the railing. "Headed up river?" Link asked, calling the captain from across the water.

The captain nodded, "Aye. Need a lift?"

"Yeah. Me and my horse," Link said, gesturing to Epona. His eyes wandered as he pointed to the pair behind him, "...And her and her horse."

Mira stood behind him, giving the captain a salute, her black stallion snorting in recognition.

The captain scanned the deck of his ship before scratching his scruffy beard. "Hmm. Should be enough room. You guys got money?"

The cloaked taguel held up her wallet, shaking it as the coins jingled inside, "Sure do."

"Climb aboard, then." He said, waving them over as he took a puff of his pipe. He then turned to the sailors working away on the deck, "Somebody take care of these horses! We got new passengers on board!"

The pair carefully led their horses over the gangplank, a couple of seaman taking their reins, leading the horses into the lower levels of the ship. The captain walked up to the two, putting his hands on his hips, "The name's Reiner. I'm the head of this vessel. Been sailing for thirty-two years."

"Link," said the young swordsman, shaking the captain's hand as he introduced himself, "Glad to know we're in the hands of a capable sailor."

"Mira. And likewise."

Reiner nodded, eyeing the weapons on both of their backs. "You two look like you're capable fighters. If the need arises, I'll be counting on your help to protect the ship." He ran a hand along the lacquered mahogany railing of the ship, "She's a fine vessel, she is. Can brave the toughest storm, but I don't think she'd be able to withstand an attack from a kraken or one of 'em giant octoroks."

Link nodded, "Sure thing, captain."

"Good. Sit anywhere you like - not that there's much place to hang around. We aren't leaving until the sailors are done loading her up with merchandise."

The captain returned to lounging over the railing, leaving the pair to wait on the deck.

"So why exactly are you coming with me again?" Link asked, making his way to the starboard side of the ship, intent on gazing out on the happenings of the river.

"I told you, there's a Shiekah master in Central that I wanna meet." Mira replied, following behind him, "Apparently she's one of the retainers of Princess Zelda - she might be able to get me some leads on Cia."

For time being, Link had withheld the fact that he'd seen this exact sorceress in his dreams. "Not stopping, huh? Even after getting your dad?"

She shook her head, "I've gotta get to the root of all of this." Mira leaned over the railing, staring out at the city, "For the sake of everyone back home… I've gotta find her…"

"And kill her."

"Exactly." Mira said, a smirk making its way on her face.

Link nodded, "Well, alright. The more the merrier, I suppose."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself," She replied, crossing her arms, "Once we get to Central we're going our separate ways."

"That's basically the entire trip, isn't it?" He said, snorting.

"Don't push it, asshole." Mira rolled her eyes, giving him a shove on the shoulder.

She had a bit of a potty mouth, was a bit of a pain in the rear, and she certainly could be disingenuous, but Link had to admit that she could hold her own. There was a lot that he could learn from her, should she have stuck around for the entirety of the journey. In the end, deep down he was grateful for the company, as he still had a ways to go before he could finally set his eyes on Hyrule's capital. It certainly beat talking to Epona all day, and while he truly loved his horse, it definitely got lonely trying to converse with something that couldn't speak back.

Looking out at the water and the bustling city beyond it, he could only imagine what Central looked like compared to this. 

* * *

_Author's Notes/Rambles: _The taguel are loaned from the Fire Emblem series, for those that are familiar. I always felt that a race of that sort fit in nicely with the Zelda lore, and the weeb in me really wanted to write something like them in. As for Mira, I think it's a good tradition that Link always had some kind of companion in most of the main series games, and I wanted to combine two of my favourite characters in Midna and Holo (from Spice and Wolf - for those that haven't seen it, highly highly recommend) to create that companion for this story. The actual Midna might play a role in this fic, but I'm still unsure as to what. Also, the hookshot makes its appearance! It's probably my favourite item in the games, next to maybe the Ball and Chain. I reimagined it a little though, to make it something that's viable to use in the middle of combat.

I had a ton of fun writing this chapter. As always, if you are enjoying reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it, please let me know!

\- _K_


	5. The Princess' Temperament

**5 -** **The Princess' Temperament**

* * *

A young girl ran through the streets of a modest town, between the townsfolk and around the merchant stalls lining the boulevards. In her arms were a pile of red apples, a few rolling onto the cobblestones every so often as she sprinted down the road.

"S-somebody stop that thief!" cried a portly man, heaving greedy breaths as he lumbered down the street as fast as he could, chasing after the girl.

The girl sniggered, turning her head to stick her tongue out at the pursuer she was leaving behind.

Cackling to herself with her head still turned, she did not see the cloaked pair leading their horses in the middle of the boulevard, slamming into the legs of the taller figure. "Oof!" She was knocked backwards onto her rear, the apples spilling from her arms and onto the street.

"Hm?" The figure leaned down towards the girl, a strand of silver hair escaping from her hood. The girl looked up, immediately going pale when she saw it was a bronze-skinned woman, a sheathed sword about as tall as a man in the hand that wasn't holding onto the reins. From behind her, a less imposing figure appeared, kneeling down to pick up the apples.

"You two!" The merchant called out, finally catching up to the girl. Taking deep laboured gasps of air, he hunched over to catch his breath. "That girl… Stole those apples… From my stand!"

The girl looked at the kneeling figure, the colour in her face returning as she managed to look at the newcomer's visage. _So beautiful… _She thought, seeing the person's deep blue eyes and lustrous blonde hair.

"Stealing from people isn't very nice..." Came her voice, matching her beauty with its gentle and tempered cadence.

Suddenly, the girl was picked up by the back of her tunic, her legs flailing as she was helplessly lifted into the air. "You little rascal!" The merchant growled, holding her up, "How are you gonna pay for all these apples now that they're all dirty?!"

"I-I'm sorry!" The girl cried, still flailing, "Me and my brother have no food!"

"Then maybe you and your brother should earn your food, instead of going around town stealing it from hardworking people!" The merchant was fuming, his face going red as his eyes looked like they were about to pop from their sockets, "If I turn you into the guards, you and your brother will be eating, alright… In a cell!"

"That's enough." The woman had finished gathering up all the apples on the ground, holding them in her arms, "We'll pay for the apples. Let her keep them."

"But, your hi-" The taller woman began to retort, to which the shorter shook her head.

"It's alright. We've more than enough for our journey." She turned to the merchant, motioning to the child, "Let her go."

The merchant's eyes darted between the trio before huffing, "Fine. But if this mutt gets caught stealing again, she won't be so lucky."

The woman leaned down, putting the apples into the little girl's hands while the taller woman began fishing out coins to give to the merchant.

The girl's eyes lit up as she saw the apples in her arms, "T-thank you, miss!"

Unfortunately, the woman's face wasn't so pleased. She gave the girl a stern flick on the forehead, eliciting a yelp from the child. "No more stealing, okay? People work hard to be able to sell these - you would do well to keep that in mind."

"I understand…" The child replied, downtrodden.

The woman nodded, "Good. Now go home."

The pair watched the girl retreat into the crowd before resuming their walk down the street.

"Was that so wise, your highness? What if the girl goes back to stealing tomorrow?"

Zelda laughed, "That is possible. But if you've taught me anything, mercy can be a great tutor in itself."

Impa shrugged, "I might have said that before, even if I don't well remember it."

"Regardless, it's our duty to help the people, isn't it?" The princess gave her white stallion a rub on the neck, eliciting a whinny.

"And if they are thieves?" Her retainer asked, lifting her chin.

"Then we reform them. To the best of our ability, that is. It's what separates us from barbarians."

"True. Hyrule is lucky our princess is a quick study." Impa remarked, smirking. "Although your father is probably the one going barbaric right about now - now that he's found out you're no longer in the city."

Zelda hummed, "Probably. Unfortunate, but I've told him several times - I can handle myself."

"That may be, but your father has much to worry about at the moment. Having you disappear is only adding to them." Impa looked further down the street, pursing her lips, "A war is brewing."

"Then we must find the hero quickly, so that he can aid us in the war against the dark one."

"Your highness…" Her retainer began, shaking her head, "You know that negotiations with Galanar have been going less-than-swimmingly. It isn't about the dark one. Not yet."

Zelda then put a boot to a stirrup, hoisting herself onto her stallion's saddle. Astride her horse, she looked to Impa to do the same. "Then it is even more urgent. Father can worry about Galanar. Whether he likes it or not, we must take finding the hero into our own hands."

Impa strapped her hefty Shiekah blade to her black mare's saddle before mirroring the Princess, smirking, "If it must be done."

"How far are we from Faron City?" The princess asked as their horses began trotting down the road.

"A week I would say. Maybe less if we took a ship downriver. But why Faron City?"

"Well, after eavesdropping on some of the soldiers in town, I think we might have a solid lead on our hero." Zelda looked over at Impa, "The Beast of Faron was slain a few days ago."

"And..?"

"The military's had trouble with it for weeks, suffering casualty after casualty," A wry grin made its way onto her near-perfect visage, "And it was killed by a young man. A bounty hunter."

Her retainer had begun to see where she was going with this, "This bounty hunter could be our hero."

"Exactly." The walls of the town were close; they would soon be back on the road. "Let us make haste for Lake Hylia. We'll board a ship for Faron, and the hero will soon be within our grasp."

Impa nodded, and they set their sights on quickly leaving the town.

* * *

Looking down at the parchment sitting on the table, Rhoam pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand as he tapped the back of a fountain pen on the tabletop with the other. He sat on one end of the large marble conference table - extravagant in design and purposed both for dining and for seating esteemed guests. There were platters of meats and fruits scattered on the table, as well as a tall jug of wine that sat very close to himself.

His weathered and spry eyes took a gander at the table before him. Seated around the conference table was the Council of Hyrule, and they were amidst their monthly meeting to discuss the affairs of the realm. There were other men and women of advanced age - career politicians of both Hylian and Human descent. There were the four generals of the Hyrulean army, clad in extravagant blue and gold armor. Then, there were representatives of all the other races; Gorons, Gerudo, Zora, and Rito alike. Apart from politicians and generals, some were priests, merchants, and those with so much wealth that even their words had begun to hold value.

"No, we cannot _invade_ Galanar..." One of the generals spoke, a bit exasperated. General Wallace was the commander of the main ground forces, the longest-tenured general apart from Rhoam himself. He was of similar age as the King, had a cleanly trimmed grey beard, and wore a royal blue cloak over his armor. "Starting a war on suspicions has done nothing good for nations in the past. It's one thing to piss off your enemies, but it's another to piss off your citizens and soldiers that you send to a war they know nothing about."

An old councilwoman narrowed her eyes, "That Emperor Volga has been nothing but an arrogant child - if we do not take initiative, they _will_ have the upper hand should they launch an assault on Hebra."

"I can assure you that such an assault would not be successful," Among the few Rito ambassadors was the colonel of the Hyrulean Air Cavalry, Yevan. They were a regiment of the military that employed a mix of most of the races of Hyrule (Gorons withheld for obvious reasons) that specialized in airborne operations, "We keep a tight security line all along the border, reinforced as far as the Tanagar. Should they make even a shuffle towards Hyrule, our scouts will know about it."

"As will ours." Another general spoke up, this one wearing muted dark steel instead of the extravagant gold - he was the commander of the Rangers. This was Alistair; a tad younger than the other generals, he still had a nice black colour to his hair. "We have scouts posted throughout and within Galanar." He shook his head, "Tell me, Madam Laine, where do you think our intel of Galanari unrest even comes from?"

The councilwoman pursed her lips, refraining from speaking and instead opting to just glare at the Ranger.

"Tariffs then?" A Goron merchant spoke, "While it is true that invading Galanar would be unwise, perhaps we can force them into submission before the head of the beast gets too large."

"I have considered that," Rhoam said, not taking his eyes off the parchment in front of him, "But Galanar is still a great trade partner that brings in hundreds of thousands of rupees in Coal alone, a resource we need for both military and industrial purposes. Losing their trade could impact our economy much more heavily than you would think."

"So we're supposed to just wait around until they decide to do something?" The Gerudo ambassador, Jazeera, inquired; of all the seats in the council, the Gerudo always held the youngest members, if only because their life spans were a bit shorter than the other races. While brash, their gung-ho views on affairs were often valuable in moving discourse in directions that would not have been seen by the older members of the council.

"Alistair," Rhoam began, addressing the Ranger commander. "Since Volga took the Emperor's seat last month, what has been his main campaign focus?"

Alistair began shuffling through the papers in front of him, "Let's see… To reduce taxes, bolster the economy, provide better training to the military… Fairly reasonable promises, if I could be so honest." He looked pulled out one more piece of parchment, "But what's been giving him so much traction is his goal of reclaiming the lands that used to be theirs."

"Which are?" Jazeera asked.

"The lands north of the Tanagar to the border." The Rito elder, Kaneli, answered.

"And that is not a reason to go to war?" The elder councilwoman, Laine, asked snarkily with an eyebrow raised.

"Not yet." Rhoam replied, lifting his head. "I've a scheduled meeting with Emperor Volga in about two weeks time - depending on what we discuss there, I will then make the decision on whether or not we begin war preparations."

"Your majesty, wouldn't it be too late by then?" General Wallace spoke up, "What if he plans to assassinate you?"

"Of course, that is also highly likely," He nodded, "but I've already enlisted Hyrule's finest to accompany me. Volga would do well not to underestimate the nation that has gone undefeated for the last century."

"And what of the Major?"

Rhoam shook his head, "She has gone with Zelda to search for the hero. Whether they return by the time I depart for Galanar is something to be seen."

Alistair cleared his throat, "Regarding the hero…" He once again shuffled through papers, "Reports say that a pair resembling the Princess and Major Impa passed through the town of Pasloe yesterday morning, heading in the direction of Lake Hylia. Lieutenant Roland of Third Platoon in Faron reported that a young bounty hunter managed to take down the beast that was terrorizing the forest. If our speculations are correct-"

"Then that's where Impa and Zelda are heading." Rhoam finished for him.

"That's right, your majesty, sir."

Rhoam hummed, "My daughter has always been keener than she let on." The council did not respond to his musings.

"It would be much quicker to let our scouts find this bounty hunter and bring him directly to Central, sir."

"It would be, but only Zelda knows what the hero truly looks like." The King shook his head, "We'll not waste resources or time trying to find this bounty hunter that might not be the real thing."

"Does this hero even exist?" An old councilman asked, raising a brow, "What grounds do we have to believe those ancient legends?"

With a deep sigh, Rhoam turned to look at the stained-glass windows that surrounded the conference room. The windows bore depictions of the goddesses Farore, Din, and Nayru, along with images of what were supposed to be Hylia herself. But the scenes that stood out the most vividly were the ones of a boy clad in green, fighting a fearsome boar with a fiery red mane.

"These windows…" He began, gesturing towards the stained glass, "Are older than you or me. They are older than your grandparents, and their grandparents, and their grandparents' grandparents."

He stood up, putting his hands behind his back. "The legends of yore are merely that: legends. Whether they exist or not is something we decide for ourselves. But what if it is the legend that chooses us?" Rhoam gave a gravelly chuckle, "Zelda had pestered me for months; she was tormented by all manner of visions. Premonitions. Dreams that often had her questioning reality by their vividness."

"No disrespect, your majesty, but we are basing the hero's existence on Princess Zelda's… Visions?" asked one of the Zora.

Rhoam turned to face the window directly behind him, the sunlight shining through its lustrous coloured glass. The hero stood triumphantly, holding up the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Triforce above him, illuminated by the brilliant lustre of the sun. "When Zelda was born, she had this quaint birthmark on her hand. A light-coloured splatter of sorts... I did not think much of it - we are imperfect beings, after all." He took a longing gaze at the window, his eyes fixated on the Triforce, "But as time wore on and she grew, the birthmark had slowly changed. She began having those strange dreams a little under a year ago now, and it was then that the mark on her hand had manifested itself into the shape of the Triforce."

Rhoam turned to the council, "That mark is bestowed to those chosen by Hylia herself, a mark that distinguishes one's role in the never-ending battle between the dark and the light. If our Princess bears the sign of the goddess then, in accordance with the legends, the hero must have been chosen as well."

The council could do naught but listen in silence.

The King sat back down, crossing his arms, "A war far beyond the affairs of mortals awaits us over the horizon, which is why we must deal with Galanar swiftly, but also carefully!"

"Yes, your majesty." The room spoke in unison.

Rhoam surveyed the room one more time before nodding, "This meeting is adjourned. May the goddesses bless us all."

With that, the inhabitants of the table began to slowly file out of the conference room. It wasn't long before Rhoam was left by himself at the end of the table, eyes closed. He took a long drink of wine before sighing. He thought that perhaps his rule would be free of having to deal with the wills of the divine. He'd long tried to push it to the back of his mind, denying Zelda's destiny as much as he could. It only took her running away that made him realize that his role in this realm was much smaller than he'd thought.

In the end, he would be nothing but a pawn in the war between dark and light.

* * *

There was the clang of metal, sparks flying as Link crossed swords with Mira. Sweat matted his hair to his forehead, and with a grunt, they pushed off of each other. He was given no time to rest as she was already on top of him, bringing her sword down mercilessly. He managed to block it, but just barely, the edge of her blade running along the side of his in a trail of sparks.

"Wide open!" Mira called out, slamming her elbow into his stomach and sweeping his legs out from underneath him.

Link slammed onto the boards of the deck, writhing in pain from the impact as he clutched his back.

"Ohohoho!" They were on the top deck of the ship, surrounded by sailors who were watching them spar. "C'mon kid, she's had your number all day!"

The cargo ship was making its way up the Zora river. While it was considered to be a quick vessel (according to Reiner, anyway), it was making the journey against the current. They had at least a couple days before making it to Lake Hylia, which was situated between the provinces of Faron, Central, Lanayru, and Necluda. According to Link's map, the Zora River forked into the Hylia River, which drained right into the Lake. It seemed like a lot of travel time, but apparently it was quicker to sail up the river than traverse the forests on horseback.

Groaning, the young man peeled himself off the floor, "You couldn't have held back just a little bit with that elbow?"

Mira scoffed, "I _was_ holding back. And here I thought you were kidding when you said you were still learning. You're supposed to be the guy that took down the Beast of Faron?"

"I'd be the first one to admit I'm not a very good swordsman yet," Link said, taking a drink out of his water sack, "And it wasn't like I took it down on my own."

"Damn right, you're lucky I weakened it enough for you to finish it off." She snatched his water sack, taking a greedy gulp for herself. "Five-minute break, then we're going for another round."

"No rest for the weary, huh?" Link remarked, smirking.

"You said you wanted to get better right? When I was learning how to fight, my father would drill this shit into me from dawn till dusk." Mira gave her sword a quick survey, "Didn't matter how tired or beat up I was, we would train 'till I couldn't move."

"Fine by me. I'm used to working all day."

"The farm's a different kind of work, bumpkin," She stated, "The horses aren't gonna teach you how to swing a sword."

"Okay, then instead of just beating my ass every time, could you at least tell me what I could improve on?"

"Ah, why didn't you just ask that to begin with?" Mira sniggered.

_She's totally enjoying this._ Link thought with his eyes narrowed.

"Get into your stance." The young man did as instructed, hold his sword out in front of him with both hands. "Swing at me."

"Shouldn't you at least have your own sword out?" He asked, unsure.

"Just do it!" The taguel snarled. Not wanting to anger the person who was willingly giving him swordsmanship advice, he immediately obeyed, bringing his sword down. Unsurprisingly, Mira deftly avoided his slash. "Again, horizontal this time!" He did as he was told, giving her a wide slash, one that she, once again, avoided without breaking a sweat.

Putting a hand to her chin, she began pointing out his flaws, "Your stance is too wide; while it makes it easier to lunge at your opponent, your attacks are also telegraphed easier." She began adjusting his arms and legs, "There's zero discipline in the way you swing your sword. That slash was so wide that I could've fit a Goron in it. Might be good for taking out a group of opponents, but against a single adversary you need to be able to contain yourself a bit more, or else they can counter while you're still gathering yourself," She propped up his elbows so that they were a tad more stiff, and she made him grip his hands closer together, "The last thing you need is wasting energy on unnecessary movements."

Once she was satisfied with the way he held his sword, she nodded. Mira unsheathed her sword from her back, gesturing to him, "Again, same moves."

Link obeyed, slashing at her with a bit more discipline. Two curt slashes, both of them blocked flawlessly by Mira and her katana. "How was that?"

"Better," She said, nodding, "Your footwork fucking sucks, though." The young swordsman gave a sweatdrop at her bluntness. "Fortunately, that's something that gets better through repetition."

"Alright, then how about we have another go at it?"

"That's what I like to hear," Mira grinned, "I'm not going easy on you just cause you're learning."

Link smirked confidently, "As if I'd let anyone beat me twelve times in a row!"

While he lasted a bit longer this time, within the minute Link had already found himself face planted back onto the deck. The sailors' raucous laughter echoed through his head as he tried to peel himself off of the ship once again.

Mira looked down at her temporary pupil, putting a hand to her face as she shook her head, "Yeah, we've got some work to do."

* * *

Zelda awoke to a dew droplet landing on her nose. Stirring awake, she groggily wiped at her face with her blanket, shivering as the cold morning air made its way underneath. The crackle of a fire made her open her eyes in curiosity, and she was greeted to the sight of Impa prepping a kettle over the fire pit they had made the night before.

"Ah, good morning, princess," her retainer greeted, "I did not mean to wake you."

The princess gave a big yawn, stretching out of the blanket before shaking her head, "It's alright; it wouldn't do to oversleep, anyway." Rubbing her eyes a bit, she scooted closer to the fire, bringing the blanket back over her shoulders.

The pair was just off the main road that connected Pasloe and the maritime city of Port Hylia (their destination). They had travelled for nearly an entire day before being forced to camp under a large oak tree when the sun went down. Zelda wanted to avoid camping out as much as possible - not because she disliked sleeping outdoors, but because it was near-freezing at night.

With a sniffle, she put her hands over the fire and gazed out at the rolling plains of Central Hyrule. The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, casting a soft orange glow on the grass. There were small groves and forests here and there, but for the most part, Central consisted of gentle hills and flatland.

"Here," Impa said, offering Zelda a mug of coffee, "We've still a few hours before we reach the port. Best to keep your wits about you."

"Thank you." The princess graciously took the hot beverage, bringing it up to her nose as she took a whiff of the coffee's rich aroma.

Their trip thus far had been uneventful. There wasn't a single sight of any bandit troupes or fiends. The military must have been doing a pretty good job of keeping the roads safe the last few months, as it was fairly common to have the odd band of marauders or bokoblins; Central was so expansive that it couldn't be helped.

What worried Zelda the most, however, was that there wasn't any sight of other travellers, or even merchants. They hadn't seen a single soul in the past day and a half that they had left Pasloe. From what she knew, the road they were on was supposed to be quite busy as it was one of the main routes to Port Hylia.

"How far are we to the next village?" Zelda inquired, looking up from the fire.

"I would say an hour. Less, maybe." Impa replied after taking a sip of her own coffee, "Why do you ask?"

"You haven't found it strange that there hasn't been anybody on the road?"

The sheikah brought a hand up to her chin. "Now that you mention it…" She hummed, "You're right, that is quite strange..."

So Impa hadn't noticed. Zelda didn't fault her all too much - they were too focused on trying to make good time, anyway. If it took them this long to realize that they were the only ones on the road, then danger could have been closer than they thought.

After partaking in a small breakfast, they continued down the road at a moderate pace, taking extra care to be alert of their surroundings. They were more than well-equipped (and trained, for that matter) to deal with any vagrants they could come across, but a timely ambush could catch even the best soldiers off guard.

"Princess," Impa called out, pointing down the road, "Houses."

Indeed, up ahead Zelda could see the shingles of the houses of a modest little village. It was situated in a thick grove of large deciduous trees, one of the few wooded areas of this part of Hyrule Field, and was probably a popular spot to rest for travellers.

Interestingly, there was a squad of silver armoured soldiers already investigating the village when the pair got there - the first people they'd seen since leaving Pasloe.

As the squad saw them approaching from the road, they quickly said something to each other before sending a lone soldier up to greet the pair. "We'd advise ye to turn 'round." He said, walking up to their horses.

Zelda and Impa looked at each other. "Why…? We aren't going to rob you if that is what you're worried about," said the princess. She realized that with both of their cloaks on they did seem like rather suspicious individuals.

His armour clinked as he shook his head, "No no, we's currently conductin' an investigation on this here settlement." He put his hands to his hips, motioning his head to the village, "People's just gone up and vanished."

"All of them?" Impa inquired.

"All of 'em." The soldier reasserted. "Matter o' fact, you two's the only travellers we seen all day on patrol."

"Likewise," Zelda nodded, pursing her lips. She turned to Impa, "We should check it out."

"We _should_, but we are in a hurry, are we not?"

"Didn't we have a conversation not too long ago about helping people?" The princess chided.

Her sheikah retainer sighed, shrugging, "As you wish." She gave her horse a quick tap with her heels, moving past the soldier.

"W-wait! I'm tryin' to tell ye that it might be dangerous!" He sputtered, jogging after the pair.

Ignoring the soldier, they approached the village, dismounting their horses as they stopped in front of a couple of the soldiers looking around one of the houses.

"You two need to leave." One of them said, marching up to the pair, "We've no idea what's happened here and we cannot guarantee your safety should there be bandits or fiends roaming about!"

"We would like to investigate as well, if you don't mind." Zelda said.

"I don't think yer hearin' me all too well, miss. It's dangerous here."

Suddenly, a deep voice came from inside the house they were in front of. "Enough." Emerging from the door was another soldier, except he was taller and his armour was much less lustrous than that of the others. Zelda could see the countless scratches and scuffs that marred his armour, the telltale sign of a seasoned warrior. "Let them do as they please. We're short-handed enough as it is out here."

"Thank you..." The princess trailed, trying to get his name.

"Isaac. Sergeant Isaac." The man gave the pair a quick scan before shaking his head, "Look around all you want. Doubt you'll find anything. Didn't look like there were any fights, struggles - nothing." He crossed his arms, "Almost as if the whole fuckin' village marched out on their own. Never seen anything like it." He sighed, "When we passed by on our last patrol a couple days ago, the village was just fine... Wonder what could've happened."

Zelda and Impa looked at each other before nodding, "Let's look around."

They immediately went to work, disappearing into the village in opposite directions.

There couldn't have been more than fifty people living in this humble town. There were a few crops in the backyards of some of the houses, but Zelda could only surmise that they made most of their money off travellers coming through on their way to Port Hylia. After walking a ways down the road, she decided to check the houses at the furthest corner of the village. It was as the sergeant said: this place was literally a ghost town.

Walking up to one of the abodes, she crept up to the windows, peering inside. A lamp was still smouldering in the middle of the dining table inside the house, but other than that, there was nobody. The front door creaked as she pushed it open; there was no resistance, and the door wasn't even locked.

It didn't seem like anything was out of the ordinary. There was no fallen furniture, the tomes in the bookshelf were still aligned, and the portraits hanging on the wall still hung straight. She ran her fingers over a picture depicting the house's inhabitants; there were just the mother and a little girl.

Her footsteps echoed through the lonely house as she searched the corners, checking the kitchen and the bathroom. Nothing. It really did seem as if they'd walked out on their own.

Suddenly, the light from the lantern finally snuffed itself out, filling the abode with eerie darkness.

"_Lumin." _Zelda uttered, extending a finger. A small ball of light wisped to life at the point of her finger, basking the room she was in with a gentle glow. She pushed her finger forward into the air, and the ball floated lazily towards the middle of the house.

Using the light from her spell, she began perusing the house's bookshelf, hoping to find some sort of lead. The books were all standard fare; _History of Hyrule, The War Between Dark and Light, Hyrule's Bestiary _\- nothing that would relate to a whole town up and leaving. That is until she pulled a book out of its place.

There was the clatter of jewelry, and Zelda looked at her feet. A small pendant had dislodged itself from one of the books. She widened her eyes when it seemed to be vibrating ever-so-slightly. "What…"

Picking it up, it seemed to be rather simple: an ornamented red jewel with a thin rope to hang around the neck. As she took a closer look, there seemed to be a mark on the jewel, but she couldn't quite make it out. She moved towards her light, hoping to get a better look, but as she began walking closer to the spell, the jewel began to vibrate more intensely.

"Interesting," She mused, holding the jewel in front of her spell, "It seems to react to mana." Squinting to better make out what was etched onto the pendant, her eyes immediately widened and a sense of foreboding crept up in her stomach. There it was, the unmistakable symbol of the upside-down sheikah crest.

Zelda blew the front door open, marching outside with the pendant clutched in her hand. "Impa!" She called out, "I've found something!"

In timely fashion, her retainer had just exited the house she had been investigating, "What is it, princess?"

The princess held up the pendant, handing it to Impa to take a look. "Look at the mark inscribed on the jewel."

The sheikah commander narrowed her eyes as she instantly recognized the unmistakable mark of the Yiga clan. "I see. If it is the Yiga who are behind the disappearance of the villagers, then we are likely too late."

"How so?" Zelda inquired. She'd heard stories of the Yiga but she'd never seen any of their members up close. As a matter of fact, she didn't even know what they were supposed to look like or what they did. From the safety of Central is seemed like they were just boogeymen, scary stories to force children to behave at night.

Impa crossed her arms, "Well, for one, they work incredibly swiftly. They are all agile, silent warriors, not unlike the Sheikah." Gazing at the stone in her hand, she continued, "What separates the two is that the Yiga are well versed in the forbidden arts."

"You mean… Dark magic?"

"That's right," The sheikah nodded, "My grandmother used to warn about how they would abduct people to use as sacrifices in order to replenish their mana supply."

Zelda's eyes widened, "How horrible... Could that be why the entire village disappeared? Stolen away to be used as fodder for their magic?"

"I am afraid so, your highness." Impa put a hand to her chin, pausing in thought, "Although… It is quite brazen for them to kidnap such a large amount of people, in the middle of Hyrule Field no less…"

Abruptly, Zelda snatched the pendant from her retainer's hands, swiftly making for the direction of the eastern gate. Bringing her fingers up to her lips, she whistled sharply, causing her horse to whinny passionately as it began making its way over to the two.

"P-princess?!" Impa blurted, blinking.

Zelda hoisted herself onto the saddle before turning to look at the sheikah commander, "As the Princess of Hyrule and a protector of this realm, I cannot - in any state of consciousness - allow such a deed to transpire under my watch."

"I understand that, your highness, but it is very likely that they are far and away from here by now. What means do we have to chase after them?!" She followed after the princess, who was beginning to trot away.

"This," The princess stated, holding up the pendant, "It reacts to mana." She slipped it around her neck, "If they used any type of magic, then there will for sure be remnants that this jewel can follow."

Impa slouched over in defeat. "... What am I to do with you, princess?" Sighing, she whistled for her own horse, climbing onto the saddle as well. "It doesn't feel quite right to make use of some Yiga charm, but if we must, then we must."

"Thank you, Impa. We should at least try and figure out where they've been taken." Zelda cracked the reins, forcing her stallion into a canter, "Or else… What right have we to stand above the commoners without the respect to even extend an arm in aid?"

Nodding, Impa gave her horse a curt pat on the neck, "It is as you say."

It seemed that along the main road there were pockets of residual mana, as the pendant continued to hum as they galloped down the road. To both of their surprises, the trail was restricted to the main road, Zelda and Impa following it for what seemed like hours.

There was no sign of deviation and before they knew it, the squawking of gulls filled their ears and the briny scent of the harbour filled their nostrils. At this point, they were indeed beginning to pass by trade caravans and travellers, many of whom looked on in intrigue as the duo hurried down the opposite side of the road.

"We are close to the port, Princess!" Impa called. They had begun to slow their pace to a canter and were long overdue for a break.

Zelda furrowed her brows. The pendant was still reacting to the mana in the air, albeit very faintly. As she considered herself to be a proficient caster, she did not doubt the pendant's accuracy for she too could sense traces of malicious mana. It was highly likely that the Yiga had escaped to Port Hylia and, if her suspicions were correct, it would be nearly impossible to keep following the trail with all the people in town. High concentrations of people generally muddled the signatures of mana in the environment due to the mixing of each person's energy, and it gave her a migraine just thinking about trying to separate each and every one.

Eventually, the dirt roads turned to cobble, and farmland began to replace the plains. After passing over a large river, the gates and walls of Port Hylia were in view. So she was right.

Cursing, Zelda motioned for Impa to slow down.

"So they made it here after all." The Sheikah remarked.

"It's going to prove difficult trying to follow them through the city," the princess replied, shaking her head, "They could have very well escaped into the lake by now."

Impa nodded, "We could try looking for some leads. Maybe ask the locals or the taverns if a group of people suddenly appeared. The captain of the guard should be willing to help."

Looking up at the sky, Zelda pursed her lips as she tried to figure out the time of day. The sun was nearing its apex, and if they chose to stay and investigate it would set them back at least a day or two, given that ships generally stopped departing after a certain time in the early evening. Originally, she had planned to get on a ship downstream as soon they got to port, only taking time to restock on supplies.

"Would we have a day to spare, I wonder?" She mused.

"That is your decision to make, your highness," replied her retainer. "The more we delay, the more likely it is that we will lose the Hero's trail as well."

Zelda nodded, "It may do us well to observe the town as we restock. If we find no leads then we set sail by dusk."

"As you wish."

With that, the pair proceeded into the city. Port Hylia was the largest settlement on Lake Hylia, home to more than thirty thousand permanent residents and host to ten times the amount of travellers than that every week. It was one of the most important logistical centres in Hyrule, being the primary trade avenue for ships bringing goods to the landlocked Capital. People of all trades crossed paths here as it acted as a gateway to not only the other provinces of Hyrule, but also the ocean. Aside from the never-ending stream of ships and merchants, the navy used Port Hylia as their base of operations, with the main fleet stationed a bit further up the coast.

Set up on the slopes leading down to the lake, the city had a rare sense of verticality, with the cobblestone avenues and buildings trending downwards, almost like a set of stairs. As such, those entering from the mainland gates were treated to a stunning vista of the city and the lake. Lake Hylia was a lake in name only - it was akin to an inland sea, and even from one's vantage point at the entrance of the city, the water stretched well beyond the horizon.

It had been years since Zelda had been to Lake Hylia, and for someone who was cooped up in a castle most of her life, seeing the vastness of the lake was like seeing the ocean for the first time. She only indulged for a moment, for they had no time to waste.

As she thought, the pendant did not stop reacting, even in the denseness of the city. Granted, it was faint - minute pulses - but there was enough of a reaction that indicated there must have been some sort of magic used in the area. Having an aptitude for magic on its own was an exceedingly rare gift in the realm, nevermind being able to utilize dark magic. The Yiga were indeed frightening if they could hide their spells in a city packed with people.

"We should let our horses rest before we begin investigating," Impa suggested, pulling the princess from her muse.

Zelda was inclined to agree. Plus, being on horseback would be more detrimental than anything; aside from the wide avenues that lead from the gates to the harbour at the bottom of the city, the streets were narrow and cramped.

After stowing their horses in one of the dockside stables, the pair first began trying to figure out suitable transport to Faron. There was only a single ship planning to travel during the night and it was first come first served. If they tried boarding too late, there was a high possibility there would be no room for them.

Regardless, they both decided it was best to have a look-see around town. In the event they did find evidence or a lead of some sort on their resident village-nappers, then they could very well pass the investigation over to the navy, who took over guard responsibilities in the city proper.

But first, they had to confirm if they even knew this was happening right under their noses.

The barracks were at the opposite end of the port, a lengthy stroll down the white cobblestone of the harbour. Life here was fastpaced, with sailors and merchants moving back and forth from the ships to the streets to unload cargo onto the carriages. Fresh fish stalls lined just about every part of the street; more often than not were fishermen trying to coerce them into checking their wares. Unsurprisingly, there was a significant population of Zora living in the port due to its close proximity to the lake, and it was worthy to note that they were naturally the best fishermen in Hyrule. Zelda kept it in mind to try the food of one of the taverns before they departed; Port Hylia was quite famous in the region for their seafood, and the taverns were held in high regard for their grilled and fried fish.

Before they knew it, they stood in front of the gate of the city's barracks, a white brick building with the familiar sight of soldiers sparring in the courtyard. While it was operated by the navy, it was still separate from the actual naval base further down the coast. The city barracks strictly handled matters within the confines of the city and its extended perimeter.

"State your business." One of the guards ordered.

Zelda and Impa looked at each other before removing their hoods.

"Stand down, soldier." Impa ordered, "We need to talk to the captain."

"M-m-m-major! And y-your highness as well!" Immediately, both of the guards dropped to a kneel, bowing their heads, "Forgive our insolence, we did not recognize you!"

"At ease. We are in a hurry, so please bring us to her at once."

_Her...? _The princess repeated in her mind, raising a brow.

"Right away, Major, sir!" The guard nodded to his partner before standing up and swinging the gate open.

Not wanting to create a fuss, the pair put their hoods back on as they were led through the courtyard and into the barracks. At the top floor, they stopped in front of a large door, presumably the captain's quarters.

The soldier gave a curt knock, "Captain, you have visitors."

"I'm a little busy right now!" Came an authoritative female voice from the other side of the door, sounding a bit strained.

The soldier sighed, "It's the Major, sir."

"Which one?!" She shouted back.

"Eliza, open the goddamned door!" Impa retorted, extending an arm to the door handle.

There was the sound of shuffling and something being knocked over, before hurried footfalls made their way to the door, the captain swinging it open.

Zelda was taken aback; the captain was a tall and beautiful woman of athletic build, with long and wavy crimson hair, paired with a set of sharp blue eyes. But what really took her by surprise was that she was covered in sweat, wearing only a tanktop and a pair of tights, a towel wrapped around her neck. The sight nearly made her cheeks flush.

The captain, Eliza, blinked when she saw who stood before her. There was an awkward pause as they stared at each other, before she turned to the soldier and motioned back to the courtyard. "Leave us." The guard immediately scurried away.

"In the middle of some exercise, I see." The sheikah remarked as they were led into the captain's office.

"When all you do is sit behind a desk all day, it can be dangerous to get lazy," Eliza replied, padding over to said desk. Off to the side, Zelda could see a mat laid out on the floor, with a toppled chair next to it. The captain noticed this, and immediately propped it back up, motioning for Zelda to sit. "Apologies for the mess, your highness."

"Not at all, apologies for our unannounced visit." The princess replied, graciously taking a seat. Impa's eye twitched when she realized that there was no such offering for herself. The major elected to stand, crossing her arms.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of having both Major Impa _and_ the princess in my office at this fine hour?" The captain said, taking a seat behind her desk as she wiped her face down with her towel. "If you're gonna ask me if I've seen the hero, the answer is no, and even if I did, I wouldn't even know what he looks like."

Zelda raised a brow, "Word gets around quick, it seems."

"Indeed, but that is a different matter entirely." Impa replied, "We were tracking the trail of some Yiga when it led us to the port."

"Yiga?" Eliza repeated, widening her eyes with genuine surprise, "All the way out here?"

The princess removed the pendant around her neck and placed it on the desk, "Unfortunately. They kidnapped the entirety of the village up the road from here."

Impa shook her head, "Gone. Without a trace. Well, except for the traces of magic, of course."

"How bizarre…" The captain said, furrowing her brows as she lifted up the red jeweled pendant and examined it, "There hasn't been anything out of the ordinary so far today."

"Nothing? No large groups of people suddenly coming in through the gates?" The princess asked.

"No, nothing like that, your highness." Eliza brought a hand to her chin, "Although, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to say that they could've enchanted the guards to sneak through."

"If they've managed to extend themselves this far into Central without us knowing…" Impa began, looking down at the floor in thought.

"Could they still be in the city?" Zelda wondered.

"I'm inclined to believe it's more likely that they would've escaped on one of the ships already." The captain replied. Abruptly she stood up, swinging her towel over her shoulder. "But I wouldn't be doing my job very well if I didn't investigate this myself now, would I?"

"Captain…!" The princess said, her eyes lighting up.

"I can't guarantee we'll find anything, but it's worth asking around the harbour," Eliza said, "If they did manage to take a ship, then I'm willing to bet there's a fisherman out there that saw something."

"And your men?" Impa asked.

"If they saw anything I would've known about it before you two stepped into the city. Would be mighty hard to miss a gang of refugees pouring through the gates, wouldn't it?"

The sheikah shrugged, "I suppose it would."

"Look, if they can just uproot an entire village from _out there_, who's to say they can't do the same here? Kidnap a bunch of my citizens for one of their weirdo rituals or whatever it is they do?" Eliza stood up, shaking her head, "That won't fly here."

"Excellent answer, captain!" Zelda said excitedly, impressed by the woman's sense of justice.

"Don't you worry, your highness, even if they did escape then you can bet I'll track them to Akkala if I have to." With a determined look, she nodded to the princess, "Give me a minute to change and I'll meet you guys on the street."

As the pair were shooed out of the office, the princess couldn't help but pry into the relationship between her retainer and the captain.

"So how do you two know each other?" She asked as they made their way down the stairs back to the courtyard.

Impa smirked, "We've known each other since we were teenagers. Went through basic training together, learned how to sail together, got deployed for a few skirmishes and peacekeeping missions together." She giggled as she reminisced, "That girl was always trying to one-up me. I should say it is quite a shame seeing her cooped up in an office like that."

"She seems capable," Zelda remarked.

"Because she is. Eliza is an excellent swordsman and an even better officer." The sheikah shook her head, "But what she does now is very important as well, even if it does not seem like it."

"I understand. Keeping Port Hylia safe is a tremendous responsibility - smugglers and pirates are sure to be aplenty here."

Impa smiled, "Exactly. If there's anyone up to the job it is definitely her."

The pair waited just outside the gate, on the edge of the street. They sure looked suspicious hanging around with their hoods up, but it was better than drawing the attention of every passerby and their dog.

It wasn't long until the gate creaked open and Eliza stepped onto the road, freshly changed. She had on a long and navy blue officer's coat, embroidered with gold stitches. Underneath was nothing but a loose white blouse, similar to Zelda's, paired off with a pair of dark trousers and high topped leather boots. To top it off, a black tricorne adorned her crimson hair, and a sabre hung loosely at her waist. Zelda concluded that she very much looked the part of a captain in the navy.

As she was bound to the castle for most of her days, it was rare to be in the presence of a tried and true sailor, and Zelda was more than impressed by Eliza's intimidating figure.

"Let's go." The captain said, motioning the two to follow her.

They began up the cobblestone road that lined the entirety of the harbour, once more passing by various fish stands and merchant ships.

"Are we looking for somebody specific?" Zelda inquired.

Eliza nodded, "I have a couple of informants stationed around the taverns up the street. They're an extra pair of eyes that monitor the movement of goods that come in and out of port."

"Extra…?"

"Right, excuse me, your highness," the captain scratched her cheek, "Trade is formally regulated and we keep a record of all goods leaving and entering the harbour. Due to the vast amount of products that flow in every day, it's difficult discerning whether some of these goods are illegal or have been smuggled."

"So that's where your informants come in," Zelda said, snapping her fingers.

"Exactly. Normally I would just go and check the shipping manifests from the harbourmaster, but since we're dealing with what could potentially be foul play involving magic, it would probably be a waste of your precious time."

_Impressive. She is the captain after all. _The princess was by no means naive - she was well old enough to consume liquor, was well-versed in the art of war and politics, was a formidable swordsman, and was an adept magic user, but the microeconomic workings of something like trade in the port were still beyond her knowledge. She was the first to admit that there were many things in the realm she did not know.

After a bit more walking, Eliza motioned to a tavern across the street from the docks. "Hungry?"

"Surely you can't be serious." Impa deadpanned.

With a grin, the captain led them into the establishment, already raucous and full of drunk sailors from the front of house to the bar.

The bartenders behind said bar immediately lit up when Eliza sauntered in, "Captain! Welcome back!"

"Good to see everyone." She greeted, waving to them as she took a seat. She flagged Zelda and Impa down, who were left standing awkwardly at the entrance, patting on the stools next to her.

Reluctantly, Zelda took a seat, feeling uncomfortable in the rowdy atmosphere of the tavern.

"The usual, cap'n?" A scruffy bartender asked.

"You know it." She leaned over and whispered into his ear, just loud enough for the cloaked pair to listen in, _"Need a sitrep on the docks." _

The grin on the bartender's face never wavered as he whispered back, _"Come round back in 'bout fifteen."_ Seems he knew exactly what she was talking about.

Eliza nodded, taking the beer from his hand, "Nothing beats an ice-cold brew! You guys want any?"

With a nervous smile, Zelda could do naught but laugh and refuse. Instead, the pair of them got mugs of watered-down wine, which they were more than content with babysitting while they waited for the scene to unfold. The captain seemed to know everybody that staffed the tavern, and she made jolly chatter with everyone that passed by. Soon, a few sets of grilled fish were set in front of them and while Zelda was happy to be getting some real food, she could not help tapping her foot in anxiousness.

After they had gnawed through their lunch, which was admittedly as delicious as the princess was hoping, Eliza stood up, getting them to follow her through the back.

"Apologies for the delay," She said as they weaved through the tight corridors of the building, "but we needed to kill a bit of time before they could be ready to meet us."

They stopped in front of a door at the very back of the building - right next to the door that led into the alleyway - and the captain gave it three quicks rapps. The heavy clack of a deadbolt undoing itself was heard and the door swung open.

A man, presumably another one of the undercover staff in the tavern, led them into a storage room full of shelves and kegs of alcohol. Surprisingly, the back of this room was spacious enough to house what was essentially a strategist's room; there was a large table with several hand-drawn maps, and along the walls were the faces of known pirates and criminals, with scribbled notes pinned up next to them.

"I'm gonna need you guys to remove your hoods." The man said, crossing his arms. The pair nodded before obliging, eliciting a widening of the eyes of the informant. He immediately dropped down to a knee - not unlike the guards before, "Forgive the disrespect, your highness! I'm honoured to be in your presence!"

Zelda held a hand up, "Raise your head, you've done nothing of disrespect. Rather, it is us who will need your help."

The captain cleared her throat, "The Yiga have snuck into the port, after apparently kidnapping the entirety of the village up the road from here. We've reason to suspect that they may have tried escaping into the lake; there hasn't been any out of the ordinary influx of civilians trying to board the ships today, has there?"

The informant looked hesitant, putting a hand to his chin as he began to think. "It's hard to say, captain… There are hundreds of travellers that come and go every day."

"Slavers? No slave-looking, unhappy people on the docks?" Eliza asked, trying her best to get something out of her informant.

He sighed, shaking his head, "Not that we've seen. We've primarily been focusing on contraband and illegal transactions. It's almost impossible to sneak slaves onto the ships without attracting half the sailors on the docks."

"I do have something that may aid us," Zelda said, digging out the red Yiga pendant. She held it in front of her, allowing the occupants of the room to observe it, "This jewel has reacted to traces of mana, and it is the reason why we have managed to follow their trail here."

The informant crossed his arms, looking at it thoughtfully. "If the Yiga did escape, we could take that thing to the docks and see where the highest concentrations of mana are. I might be able to cross-reference the dock numbers with our shipping manifests."

Eliza nodded, "It's worth a try - it's all we have left going for us at the moment."

With that, they headed back out onto the street, weaving around the throngs of people as Zelda followed the pulsations of the pendant like a dowser. The informant held a clipboard in his hand as he followed closely behind her, multi-tasking as he observed the goods being offloaded onto the street.

"Stop." The princess ordered abruptly, halting in front of a large merchant rig. The pendant began buzzing intensely, much like how it did when it reacted to her light spell back at the village.

"Is this it?" Impa inquired, peering over her partner's shoulder to look at the necklace.

Zelda craned her head to look at the sheer size of the ship, its masts tall enough to block the sun from beaming into her eyes. She turned off the street and onto the dock, picking up her pace as clamoured down the cobblestones between the sailors carrying crates of goods.

Eliza and Impa looked at each other before jogging after her. Impa, who had been lugging her sword on her back for the better part of the day, swung it around her shoulder in preparation for an engagement.

"This is the one." Zelda stated, stopping right in front of one of the gangplanks that led up to the ship.

"You mean they're still on this ship?" The informant asked.

She shook her head, "I'm not sure, we'd have to board it to check. But this area is oozing with dark mana."

"Get us on board, Eliza." Impa said, nodding over to the sailors that were working away on deck.

"Right, right. You guys wait here." The captain took point, sauntering up the bridge.

The sailors immediately took notice, dropping their crates of luggage before wiping the sweat off their brows. The trio was left to observe as Eliza conversed with them, and it took barely a moment before she raised a hand to usher them over.

"Feel free to look around, but try not to bother anybody. We're on a tight schedule here!" One of the sailors remarked as they boarded the ship.

The presence of two cloaked figures - particularly one holding a frighteningly large blade - immediately garnered the attention of everyone on the deck.

Following the princess, they began walking laps around the ship, watching her as she tried to detect the presence of any more mana. After about five minutes, they were at the top of the ship behind the captain's wheel.

"Well?" Eliza asked, "What's the verdict?"

Zelda nodded, "They're here."

This caught the entire party by surprise.

"Still?" Impa tightened the grip on her sword.

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

Confused looks were exchanged, and the informant gulped audibly. Either they were unable to find a ship that left early enough, or they were confident enough in their operations that they delayed leaving town. Regardless, even Zelda wasn't expecting the Yiga to stick around, especially because they had abducted an entire village worth of people. The fact that they had willingly let the party onto the ship to investigate spoke volumes.

"Let's check the lower decks." Eliza said, turning to head to the stairs.

"Wait," The princess said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

"They have nowhere to hide, your highness," The captain clutched the scabbard of her sabre, "this could be our chance!"

There was the sound of a crowd of footsteps moving, and in the blink of an eye, the party was suddenly surrounded by sailors and merchants.

"On the contrary," Impa began with a smirk, "It seems we are the ones with nowhere to hide."

"Not only did the captain foolishly waltz onto this ship," One of the disguised Yiga members called out, "But the princess delivered herself to us as well!"

"Where are the villagers?!" Zelda demanded, gritting her teeth.

"How naive," another one said, "the person that's in the most danger here is yourself!"

The sheikah major scoffed, "No, she isn't." The ringing of metal was heard as Impa finally unsheathed her mammoth katana, its black metal shimmering in the dull autumn sunlight. In unison, Zelda and Eliza drew their blades as well. Even the captain's informant, who had unfortunately stepped onto the ship unarmed, dropped to a fighting stance.

In puffs of smoke, the sailors and merchants had their illusions dispelled, revealing for the first time the true appearance of the Yiga footsoldiers. They wore matching dark maroon jumpsuits, in similar eastern style to the sheikah clothing. Leather chest plates adorned their abdomens, and white guards their shins and forearms. And unsurprisingly, their faces were obscured by hoods and cloth face masks.

"Capture the princess, kill the rest!" One of them shouted.

Furious cries came from both sides as they lunged towards each other.

* * *

_Author's Notes/Rambles: _Just over seven months later and I've finally managed to finish writing up this chapter. I've been absolutely hammered the past year with work and school, picking up a contract during the summer that left me with no time trying to balance the two with a full course load over the fall.

But no one cares, so here we are! As Zelda is the other main character of this tale, I really wanted to start focusing on her right away. Developing her character is gonna be a lot of fun, but I was torn on how to showcase her abilities. In the end, it seems that'll have to be saved for the next chapter as the word count for this one was beginning to get out of hand. As for the captain, I took a history course on pirates over the fall so I was inspired to write up a swashbuckler-type character in Eliza, with Francis Drake from FGO as the primary inspiration. Also, the Yiga show up for real! I always thought of them as the rival ninja clan to the sheikah, so that's what they're gonna be like.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always, please feel free to leave any comments/thoughts/criticism.

_\- K_

_P.S: _I'll be going through the previous chapters to fix any typos or legibility issues that I missed when doing the beta read.


	6. Of Tides and Wind

**6 - Of Tides and Wind**

* * *

After a couple days of sailing up the Zora River, Reiner's vessel had finally switched over to the River Hylia. They were barely an hour away from the lake, and by extension, from Central. The mountains began to disappear, replaced instead by forests and fields. Furthermore, the days were much warmer than when they were downriver. They were getting so close that Link could practically smell Central.

That is, until a putrid odour started to fill his nostrils.

He had been lazing about on the top deck, taking a break from his sword training with Mira, lying down with his arms behind his head on top of some crates. The smell pulled him from his lull, sputtering as he was jolted upright.

His cerulean eyes met the crimson of his temporary travelling partner, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Ugh, the hell is that smell?!" Link cried, pinching his nose shut.

In her hands, Mira held a strange yellow-green fruit, seemingly covered in thick thorns and was the size of a pumpkin. It was sliced open, the soft pale flesh exposed underneath the rind - the flesh that was evidently emanating the smell of what Link could only liken to his old ranch socks that sat out in the sun to dry.

"Nasty right? Hahaha!" Mira said with a barking laugh that exposed her sharp canines. She stuck the spoon she was holding into the fruit and scooped out a glob, popping it into her mouth. "Tastes great though. Mmmm." She closed her eyes, savouring the flavour.

"What, seriously?" The young swordsman leaned over and observed the strange foodstuff.

"Yeah, wanna try?" She offered him the spoon. Link reached over apprehensively - if she had already eaten some then it was probably edible. Probably.

Shrugging, he took the spoon. "Okay…" He released the pinch on his nose, the offensive scent once again causing him to recoil in disgust. "You better not be lying to me." He said, cringing. Sticking the spoon into the fruit, he was surprised at the texture. It felt like scooping up a spoonful of butter. _Here goes…_ He popped the spoon into his mouth, squeezing his eyes at what could have potentially been the worst thing he'd ever eaten.

"Hmm…?" Link felt the delicate custardy texture of the fruit in his mouth; while there was a hint of the smell in the flavour, it was definitely much sweeter than he'd anticipated. His mouth was filled with its smooth richness, and it was hard for him to describe the sensation he was getting.

"Well? Whaddya think?" Mira asked, expectant of his answer.

He put a hand to his chin as he began swallowing; now that he had tasted the fruit, the smell wasn't as bad as it was before. In fact, it was starting to be rather pleasant. "It's… Good. Really good! But in a complicated way."

"It's like that for everyone's first time trying it." She let him hold the oversized fruit, a nostalgic look washing over her face. "That's called a durian. There used to be a forest back in Necluda on the other side of the mountains filled with durian trees."

"Ah, so it's from your hometown."

She propped herself up onto the crates next to his and nodded, "Something like that. Mom used to say that warriors would eat these before battle - said that it gave invigorating energy or whatever. Never really believed her, though."

"How'd you find one on the ship?" Link asked, though he probably knew what the answer was.

"One of the merchants had a dozen sitting in one of the crates. Apparently they keep pretty well if you store 'em right." She took the fruit back from Link, taking another spoonful for herself, "This one cost me thirty rupees, y'know."

"Thirty rupees?!" He repeated, his eyes widening, "For one?!"

"Right? Guess exotic stuff always comes at a premium." She gave a longing look at the water as she ate the durian. It was strange; it was the first time he'd seen her so mellow since they began travelling.

_I guess being away from home that long does that to you. _Link had left Ordon just over two weeks ago; while he was starting to feel homesick, seeing Mira and her situation only motivated him to continue his journey even further. He could not forget what he'd set out here to do - to get stronger, and to prevent any harm from coming to the village.

"We'll find that master you're looking for." He said suddenly, his gaze unmoving from the water as well.

She smirked, "Who's 'we'? I never asked for your help."

"What was his name again? The master's." He asked, ignoring her cheeky comment.

"Impa." Mira replied through a mouthful of fruit. "And she's a woman."

"A woman, huh…" Link echoed. "She must be really strong to have someone like you chasing after her for lessons"

"You don't even know the half of it," She remarked, hopping off the crate. "Alright, break time's over. Let's get back to it!"

Link picked up his sword off the deck and nodded, "Okay. You're on!"

Unbeknownst to him, Mira was not joking; he definitely did not know the half of it.

* * *

Zelda redirected the wicked edge of the sickle blade that was swung at her, her rapier deflecting it effortlessly as she booted the Yiga assailant in the chest, throwing him across the deck with surprising strength. Another one lunged at her, his precise slash just barely being ducked under, Zelda weaving through his attack. In a blur, she delivered a flurry of swipes with the tip of her sword, causing the man to cry in agony as blood sprayed from the gashes opening up in his chest.

"Go back to where you came from!" She cried, giving the man a roundhouse kick that sent him careening over the rails and into the lake.

While the party was more or else dealing with their foes handily, the sheer numbers that the Yiga had on the ship was beginning to take its toll. It seems that they cast an illusion over the area as it didn't seem like anyone back on the docks had noticed the rumble happening on the deck.

"Princess, watch out!" Zelda's momentary lapse of focus was saved as Impa had swooped in front of her, her nodachi cleaving through a trio of Yiga that had tried to get the jump on the princess as she dealt with her assailant.

"Thank you, Impa!" She called out, meeting another set of Yiga to deal with. Holding a hand out, she triggered a burst of mana, "_Lumin!" _A blinding flash of light blasted the area in front of her, causing her opponents to stumble back in a daze as they were robbed of their vision. There was the sound of her footsteps and she was already in front of them, furiously slashing away with her rapier.

"You guys just don't know when to quit, do ya?!" Eliza roared on the other side of the ship, dancing through the crowd with her saber, blood and limbs being tossed into the air as she moved across the deck. One Yiga almost had the jump on her, lunging for her exposed back. Instead of cutting the captain open, he was met with the sharp point of her elbow to his stomach, the wind being knocked out of him as he sent flying back with the force of a cannonball, crashing into a set of crates.

After another few minutes of intense fighting, the party found themselves backing into each other, the Yiga forming a circle that seemed to be closing in.

"Where do all of you keep coming from?!" Eliza called out, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek as she twirled her sabre.

"Brace yourselves." Impa commanded, stepping ahead of the party. She readied her blade, the black metal becoming enveloped in an almost invisible film of mana. "And do not leave my side!"

The Yiga were not gonna let her finish charging up whatever attack she had about to rip. Unfortunately for them, they were far too late. Impa gave the air a swift diagonal slash, unleashing the energy she had stored in her blade. There was a deep boom, and a resounding shockwave of energy burst in all directions, blades of razor sharp wind being flung from the shockwave. The Yiga were simultaneously thrown off the ship and assaulted by the rending wind in a terrifying display of force, the floorboards of the ship's deck being torn off and sent into the air. Dust and debris filled the air as the attack did its work, toppling the ship's sails and masts.

When the dust had settled, she held the scabbard of her nodachi to her side, the steel ringing as she returned the blade to its sheath. There was a satisfying click, and she let go of the breath she was holding. There was nobody left standing on the top of the ship except for their party.

Eliza took a look at the destruction she had caused and whistled, "Still as scary as ever, huh Impa?" The top deck of the ship had been absolutely mangled by Impa's Windcleaver, the boards around them torn to shreds, and the main masts of the ship having fallen over like timber.

The sheikah scoffed, "As if these Yiga foot soldiers were any match for us."

As soon as she finished her sentence, the barrier that was casted over the ship shattered like glass. There was another shockwave and suddenly the group was brought to their knees by an overwhelming force. "S-spoke… Too s-soon!" Zelda managed to make out, her body being forced to the ground as if a boulder was trying to flatten her. As she grit her teeth trying to fight back what was evidently some kind of gravity spell, she could see little wisps of dark mana flowing off their bodies.

"The hell is this?!" The captain cried, her efforts to stand proving futile.

There was the sound of footsteps in front of them, revealing a Yiga spellcaster. He was cloaked in maroon robes, his face shrouded by the shadow of his hood. In his hand he held a staff, a red orb sitting on the top of it - not unlike the red jewel hanging from Zelda's neck.

There was a deep chuckle as he approached the princess, clasping her face in his hand. "You are the real thing." His voice was deep and distorted, possibly due to the magic. His pale hand traced down her face and to her neck, then past her collarbone and into her shirt. Zelda's eyes widened when she realized she was about to get violated, until he clasped the pendant around her neck and ripped it from her.

"P-princess!" Impa called, trying to crawl over to her liege.

Zelda shook her head. _"Not yet!" _She ordered in a harsh whisper, so as to not draw attention from the wizard who was pacing back and forth, observing the jewel he now held in his hand.

"Now that I have gotten this back…" The wizard began, "What shall I do with you four, hmm?" He first stopped in front of the captain, bending over to get a good look at her face. "You are the daughter of the admiral, are you not?"

"Go fuck yourself." Eliza sneered, spitting at the wizard's face.

The wizard wiped his face off before giving a sinister, barking laugh. He pointed his staff at the captain's informant, blasting the man with purple magic spear right through the chest. Blood spilled onto the ruined deck of the ship as the informant's eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"N-NOOOO!" The captain tried to reach for her sabre, once again doing so in vain, the spell keeping them locked in place. "I'll fucking kill you, you bastard!"

Her defiance was met with a swift strike to the face by the orb end of his staff, flecks of spit coming out of her mouth as her head snapped to the side. Her furious visage did not change, and she glared at him as blood began trickling from the corners of her mouth.

"And you…" His voice came again, this time addressing Impa. "The sheikah master. We are beneath you; that is what you believe is it not?" A deep garbled chuckle echoed from under his hood as he pointed his staff at her, "I should just end you as well."

Impa closed her eyes and smirked, "I'd like to see you try."

On cue, a blinding flash burst from Zelda's body. _"Luminra!" _The flash was coupled with an ear splitting crack, and it not only robbed the wizard of his sight, but his hearing as well.

"What?!" The wizard stumbled backward, momentarily releasing the gravity spell he held on the party.

Through the ringing in her ears, Impa exploded from her spot on the ground, delivering a gut wrenching punch to the wizard's stomach, throwing him across the deck. Still disoriented, the man flailed on the floor, trying to stand up. Zelda quickly confiscated the staff lying on the floor as the other two approached his defenseless body.

With a snarl, Eliza brought her sabre up, just about ready to decapitate the wizard before Impa stopped her. "I know what you're about to say and I don't care!" She made out through gritted teeth.

"He's much more valuable to us alive, Eliza!" The major said, trying to reason with her, "We can interrogate him and figure out where their hideout is!"

"He killed one of my men! And kidnapped a whole fucking village of people!" The wizard began to regain his senses, the blurry image of a sabre inches away from his eyeballs causing him to whimper in fear. "Death would be too kind of a punishment for you." The vein in her forehead was on the verge of bursting, pure rage enveloping her face as she looked down on the man. She slowly inserted her sabre in the wizard's shoulder, the squelching of his flesh causing him to cry in agony. She then gave it a few tormenting twists, causing him to writhe on the floor with his mouth agape. With one final grunt, she pushed the sabre all the way through and out the other side, foam frothing from his mouth as he passed out from the pain.

"... Are you satisfied?" Impa asked, crossing her arms.

"Not in the slightest." Eliza quickly pulled her blade out of the man's body, wiping the blood on his cloak. She sheathed her blade before turning to the remaining two of them. "We'll tie this scumbag up and squeeze every last drop of information out of him we can. For now, let's get to work finding the villagers."

Zelda and Impa had no objections and, after tying the wizard up, the trio descended into the bottom decks of the ship.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save your informant..." The princess said remorsefully as they made their way down the stairs. "I needed some time to gather up the mana for my spell."

"Don't apologize, your highness." The captain shook her head, "He knew what he signed up for. Working undercover for anything, especially when dealing with smugglers and contraband, is always gonna be a dangerous job."

"He must have been an excellent soldier."

Eliza nodded, "He was. The navy will give him a proper memorial service once we've finished up here."

Impa, who was already in the bowels of the ship, called out to the pair, "You guys should take a look at this."

From the light provided by the windows of the ship's lower decks, they were greeted by the sight of a wholly terrified crowd of civilians, shackled to the support beams. Their chains rattled as they instinctively began to crawl away from the trio. "Please don't hurt us!" One of the women cried.

Zelda had to scrunch up her face as her nose was assaulted by the stench of drying urine and bodily waste. It was a repulsive scene; the people down there were absolutely filthy, their faces gaunt, and their lips were pruning from dehydration.

"There's certainly more than a village worth of people." Eliza remarked as she began breaking the shackles on the captives closest to her, ignoring the terrified screams she was receiving. "Wouldn't be surprised if they abducted some of them right off the road."

"They did," Zelda affirmed, "It would explain the emptiness of the road on the way here."

"The Yiga were probably keen on selling them as slaves." Impa replied, doing the same as the captain. "Even a cult like them would have no need with this many sacrifices."

"How can you be so sure?" The princess asked, kneeling down to undo the chains on a little girl's ankle. She noted that the girl bore resemblance to the portrait she had seen in the house before. "Powerful dark magic is known to be fuelled by the raw lifeforce of a person."

"Yes, but they also need to make money somehow," her retainer said, "Slaves can cost a hefty amount on the black market."

"As tight as our security on the harbour is, the hard truth is that even slavers can sneak their merchandise through if they are experienced enough." Eliza sighed, shaking her head. She helped up a woman, giving her support, "Easy now, you're alright."

Letting the girl drink from her water sack, Zelda burned the image of the ship's lower deck into her mind. From her safe, luxurious spot at the top of Hyrule's castle, she would never have had to worry about this sort of misfortune befalling her. Going even a day without food was something she would never have even imagined, and she had access to as much clean water as she could possibly drink.

The girl began to cough as she had drank too fast. Zelda gently gave her a pat on the back, and when she was done with her fit, she looked up at the princess with half-lidded, almost lifeless eyes. "Did you… Come to s-save us?" The girl managed to make out.

The princess felt her heart wrench. "We did." She said, nodding.

A small, fragile hand made its way to her face. It was as cold as ice. "T-thank you…"

Now more than ever was the princess grateful for setting off on her journey. She admitted in her mind that it was originally a selfish decision, ignoring her father's wishes to find the hero to fight in the war against the dark one. But as she clasped the hand struggling to reach her face, Zelda realized that the subjects she ruled over had their own wars that they fought every day.

* * *

"How's it lookin' up there, boy?" Reiner called from the captain's wheel.

Link was scanning the horizon of the lake from his perch in the crow's nest, using a hand to block out the sun. He had a wide grin on his face; it was the first time he'd seen such a vast body of water. The wind bit at his cheeks and made the corners of his eyes tear up, but he was so excited to be sailing that he ignored it, taking in the sights. "It's great, captain! I can see everything from up here!"

"That's great bumpkin, but he's asking if you see any pirates!" Mira laughed from the bottom of the mast.

He looked back at his temporary travelling partner with a blank look on his face, "How do I know if they're pirates?!" Ships of all sizes dotted the lake, some were larger ships like theirs, while others were small schooners anchored in the open water with their fishing nets out.

"The flags, boy, the flags!" The captain pointed to the flag that was fluttering next to Link on the crow's perch. Indeed, their vessel was sailing the flag of the province of Central; it was white, with the gold royal insignia of triangles and a red phoenix underneath it. "Pirates usually have black flags on their masts!"

Extending the telescope that Reiner gave him, he took a hard look at the water. He saw green flags of Faron and the blue flags of Lanayru, but nothing that looked pirate-y. "Looks like we're clear!"

Mira turned to the captain, "Are pirates common on Lake Hylia?"

Reiner nodded, "The navy does a pretty good job keeping the waters safe, but pirates are less uncommon than we would like."

"That's where me and the bumpkin come in, right?"

"For the most part," The captain gave the wheel a rub, "We've got four twelve-pounders on each of our broadsides, so battlin' while we're sailing hasn't really been the issue. Our guys aren't all that great in a sword fight, as tough as they look."

"Kinda like Link, huh?" She sniggered, mostly to herself.

"I heard that." The swordsman in question muttered, not peeling his eyes from the telescope.

After finally making it into Lake Hylia, they were less than a half-day of sailing away from the port. Mira and Link would part ways with Reiner's crew there; once they'd unloaded some of their cargo and passengers, it was back into the lake and up towards Lanayru for them. If the winds were gracious enough, Reiner predicted that they'd be docking by nightfall. From then on, the pair were planning on staying the night in Port Hylia before making their way to the capital.

The sail over the next hour was largely uneventful, much like it'd been for most of the trip. Link was entertained by spotting the different kinds of ships on the lake and seeing the awe-inspiring displays of schools of fish jumping out of the water. Every so often he would see an octorok patrolling the surface, but never did they get close enough to cause their ship any trouble. It wasn't until Link was just about ready to head back down onto the main deck that he saw a strange figure waving at them in the water.

"That's… A zora?" He muttered to himself, looking through the telescope. Indeed, there was a lightly coloured zora, their shiny skin a pale rose, waving with both arms in the ship's direction. "Captain! There's a zora in the lake waving at us!"

There was a hiss followed by the thunk of a hookshot into the crossbar of the sail next to him, Mira swiftly appearing at his side in a low crouch. He would never be unimpressed by her superhuman coordination and agility. She held a hand out expectantly, "Gimme the telescope." He quickly obliged, placing it in her hand. Balancing herself on the sail, she took a long gaze at the figure Link mentioned before nodding, "That's a zora, alright."

His face scrunched up in confusion, "What, you thought I was lying?"

"No, I thought you wouldn't know what a zora looked like." Before he could retort, she turned to the captain, "I think they need our help! Could be a trap, though!"

"Aye, we'll get closer before we decide to bring them on board!" Reiner replied, swiftly turning the wheel in the direction of the seemingly helpless individual.

"Are there zora pirates too?" Link asked.

Mira nodded, "Yes. Anyone could be a pirate, just like how anyone could be a bandit." She brought a hand to her chin and hummed, "Doesn't really look like there's anything out there waiting for us. Maybe they really need help."

After they'd made their way down from the crow's nest, they quickly consulted with Reiner and the rest of the crew.

"We definitely have some extra space on board," The captain said, scratching the scruff of his beard, "But we can't really ignore the fact that the zora could be leading us into some kinda trap."

"I think we'd be able to defend ourselves against a couple of pirates." Link reasoned.

"Not unless it was a ship or two armed to the gills with cannons." Mira retorted, crossing her arms, "We'd be as good as dead."

"Out here?" The young swordsman shook his head, "We'd see them from a mile away!"

"Aye, the lad's got a point." Reiner hummed, "Nothing but the open water out here."

The taguel shrugged, "It's up to you, cap'n."

"Aw, what the hell." The captain turned to the crew and bellowed, "We've got a man overboard, get those goddamn ropes in the water for the zora!"

The crew replied with a resounding choral cheer, and they were off to the rails throwing whatever objects capable of floating into the water. There was some commotion but it did not take long until they pulled the zora onto the deck.

The zora climbed over the rails, a puddle forming underneath their body as the lake's water ran off of them. While the zora was surrounded by the helpful attention of the crew, Link managed to get a good enough look to confirm that they were indeed a female. It was his first time seeing one in person; he was fascinated by the rose, almost pink hue of her skin. It was shiny, giving off the impression it was perpetually moist, but he knew enough about the zora to know that this was not the case, rather it being a natural phenomena that helped their bodies cut through the water while swimming. They had gills on their necks, and their fingers and toes were webbed. The long tail-like extension from the back of her resembled that of a dolphin or shark. While there was little in the way of clothing, she was adorned in jewellery around her neck and waist, with a white sash draped over her waist that acted almost like a skirt.

He could not help but stare; the zora were so far from being human but at the same time, they bore many of the same features that humans did. He concluded there was a certain type of elegance to the zora form.

"Welcome aboard, lass." Reiner greeted, making his way through the crowd of sailors to address the zora. "I'm Reiner, captain of the Swiftwind!"

_Swiftwind? _Link scoffed lightly through his nose, taking amusement from the fact that it was the first time he'd actually heard mention of the vessel's name. This did not escape his companion's attention as she gave him a firm nudge with her elbow.

The zora had trouble standing to greet the captain, propping herself on the rails for support. She did not seem to be visibly injured, so Link could only assume that she had twisted or broken one of her ankles. Mira stepped in front of the sailors to offer the zora her support, being the only other woman on board, to which the zora gratefully took.

"I am in your debt, captain of the Swiftwind." The zora said gracefully, bowing as much as she could with one of her arms draped around Mira's shoulders.

"There's no need for thanks," Reiner shook his head, "Rather, how badly are you hurt? What happened?"

The zora looked down at the planks of the deck, sighing.

"Take your time." Mira assured.

"We… Were on our way to Port Hylia," she began, her brow scrunching up, "Our ship was carrying an envoy bound for Central. Due to certain… _Circumstances,_ I cannot reveal what their purpose was for."

_A zora ship? _Link repeated in his head. For some reason he just assumed that the zora had no need for boats as they could just swim everywhere, but the more he tried to think about the feasibility of a group of zora pulling cargo through the water, the less sense it made. Looks like he still had a lot to learn about the world.

"Unfortunately," she continued, "The pirates of the north coast caught wind of us moving with a high value individual, and we were immediately caught in a barrage of cannon as soon as our ship left the River Nayru." She motioned to her leg, "Hylia has blessed me for I've managed to make it out with my life. I cannot say the same for my comrades."

"You're the only one left?" Mira asked, eliciting a plethora of surprised reactions from the crew.

The zora nodded, "After our ship was boarded, they were either killed or taken as prisoners. Thanks to their sacrifice, I was able to escape. But with such a severe injury, I was not able to swim very far due to how much pain it caused me. I ended up losing consciousness, and I awoke in the waters here." She blinked, looking around, "Where are we exactly?"

"The south coast." Reiner answered, "You must've been out a while to end up down here."

She hung her head in defeat, squeezing her eyes in frustration, "My comrades… Those damn pirates!" She punched the rail with her free hand, growling as tears began to drop from the corners of her eyes.

"Hey, take it easy!" The taguel said, doing her best to support the zora, "You need to rest and get healed up before you can even think of going back up there."

"I'm sorry." The zora brought a hand to her face, wiping the tears as best as she could, "Perhaps I do need some rest."

Reiner immediately clapped, "You heard the girl, someone get her a cot set up!" Once again, a cheer came from the crew as they dispersed into the lower decks. Mira and the zora then hobbled to the now-open hatch, until they were stopped by him calling out, "What do we call you, lass?"

The zora turned around to face the captain and Link, apprehension washing over her face. For a second, her emerald eyes locked with Link's cerulean blue. He could not tell what she was thinking and before he could say anything, she nodded, "I am Mipha."

"Aye, get some rest, Miss Mipha."

Link watched as they retreated into the lower decks. There was something strange; when she looked at him he felt a sense of connection. There was an odd sensation of familiarity, as if maybe he had seen her before. It was confusing because up until now, he'd never even seen a zora in his life.

He was deep in thought until the captain gave him a swift slap on the back, "Enough daydreamin', boy. We've got a ship to run."

"Right away, captain." With that, Link made his way up the main mast and back to the crow's nest, resuming his watch. _Mipha, huh? _He thought, peering out at the water, _Beautiful name._

* * *

"These guys should be able to take you down the river." Eliza said, gesturing at the mid-sized cargo ship they stood in front of, "They're pretty trusted regulars of the port so you don't need to worry about getting ambushed by any more of those Yiga creeps."

After their battle on top of the ship, the city guard clamoured to clean up the mess they had left behind. With Eliza directing control, soldiers and sailors were working tirelessly to clear the harbour of debris. The merchant ship belonged to one of the prisoners they'd found on the lower decks, with the ship's crew being among the hostages as well. For the moment, the prisoners were being treated at the barracks, being given food and shelter as they were being helped to sort everything out.

While the pair felt themselves largely responsible for thousands of rupees worth of damages to the ship, Eliza insisted that they were faultless, going so far as to graciously offer them passage down river with another one of her acquaintances.

Impa and Zelda looked at each other before nodding, "This will more than suffice," said the princess.

"Suffice, you say…" The captain shook her head, "I know you're against it, but you're really sure you don't want a navy ship? We would be more than happy to escort you down the Zora."

"We would like to be as discreet as possible," Zelda replied, "Ignoring what happened earlier, we feel it is best to use as little resources as we can. I don't think my father would be very happy allocating a military ship for our search."

Eliza shrugged, "If you insist, your highness."

"Don't worry," Impa said, resting a hand on the captain's shoulder, "We can take care of ourselves."

"I'm well aware, major. But anything can happen out there."

"We'll be careful, captain," Zelda reassured, "Rather, are you not going to have a mess to clean up after all of this?"

"Don't get me started," the captain replied with a sigh, "On top of getting a crew to salvage the ship and to figure out where all the hostages are from, I need to fill out the paperwork for my informant. Poor guy has a wife and kid waiting to hear the news."

"We send our condolences," said the princess with a bow, "as well as our deepest apologies."

"I am sure they're appreciated." Eliza nodded gratefully. She looked up at the sky before motioning towards the ship, "Now, you two better get going. The ship's primed to leave within the hour; if there's anything you need to get done, now's the time to do it."

Impa held out a hand, "It was good seeing you, Eliza."

The captain wore a wry grin as she gave the major a firm handshake, "You as well, major."

"Thank you for the hospitality," Zelda said, bowing once more.

"It was my pleasure, your highness," Eliza replied, returning the bow.

After saying their goodbyes, the pair gathered their stuff before heading back into town to stock up on supplies. They were running low on sustenance, not to mention food for their horses. It was going to be a fairly lengthy trip downriver of a couple of days and, with their horses cooped up in the ship, they wanted to make sure their steeds were ready to get back on the road as soon as they made it to Faron.

Once they were on the ship, they introduced themselves to the crew and captain. There weren't a whole lot of sailors onboard, maybe fifteen or so, with a majority of the space in the hold being packed with crates and sacks full of wares. There was space for a few horses, complete with beds of hay as the captain often needed horses for prolonged trips into town. The ship itself was lightly armed, with a trio of twelve-pounders on the broadsides to keep pirates and bandits at bay.

"We'll be able to outsail any pirate in Lake Hylia or the seven seas for that matter," The captain, Thedron, assured the two, "Haven't had any problems so far." He was a gruff man of typical sailor cloth, a hand rolled cigarette smoldering between his lips.

Zelda, hiding her identity under the shadow of her cloak, nodded, "We're in your care."

"Aye, the captain's countin' on us to make sure you two make it to Faron safe and sound." He grinned, exposing a set of well-worn teeth, "Don't you worry 'bout a thing."

While there was something to be said about this crew sailing under-armed, the rivers in the mainland of Hyrule were generally safe. It was because of Lake Hylia's vastness that allowed the bandits of the open water to roam for as long as they have; should the ship stick close to the coast, they would be fine. In theory, at the very least.

They set out in the afternoon, the sun on its way down towards the horizon. They would be sailing the River Hylia by the evening, and from there it was a day or two on the Zora with their trip being expedited by the downward current. With any luck, they could quickly conduct their investigation by speaking to the guard of Faron, as they'd done with Eliza.

With her sights on the open water, Zelda leaned over the rail and took in a breath of the fresh, moving air. The crew seemed to take shifts doing the work on the deck, so there were a handful idly drinking and singing merry shanties to pass the time. It was a strange atmosphere; she'd been on a ship once or twice as a little girl, but this was her first time actually being out on the open water. While her mission was to find the hero, her journey had begun to unfold into quite the adventure.

"Still, I hope we find him soon," the princess said longingly.

"We will," Impa remarked, joining Zelda in partaking in the breathtaking view of the lake, "Perhaps sooner than you think."

The princess did not notice the faint glowing of the Triforce on the back of her hand.

* * *

"Link!"

The young man in question blinked as he was pulled from his lull. He'd managed to begin dozing off in the crow's nest and the captain was quick to notice. "Yeah?" He called back, leaning over.

"Don't 'yeah' me, boy! Get down here!" It took a couple minutes of climbing down the ropes, but soon Link was in front of the captain. "You've been up for a while. Go get some shut-eye."

"You sure?" Link was definitely feeling drowsy but he wanted to enjoy the sights a bit more.

"Yes, I'm sure. One of the guys'll take over for ya, don't worry." Reiner patted the swordsman on the shoulder, "We'll wake you up once we're at port."

"Got it, captain."

With a yawn, Link swung the doors open to the lower decks, making his way down the stairs. Being a fairly sizeable ship, the Swiftwind had two lower decks: a hold for storage and for horses, and another for the crews quarters and cannons. The crew deck was sparsely populated, with a couple of sailors scrubbing the floors and running maintenance on the twelve-pounders.

They greeted Link as he weaved around barrels of supplies before he ducked into the crew's quarters. It consisted merely of a bunch of cots and hammocks with benches in the middle for eating and socializing. In the corner, Mira was sitting next to a cot where the zora was lying with her eyes open.

Unlatching his cloak, he set it down next to a hammock on the opposite corner from the pair, his satchel and sword being placed on the deck next to it. Wordlessly, he climbed into the hammock, throwing his arms behind his head as he closed his eyes to rest. A moment passed and he couldn't help but raise his brow as he felt the sensation of someone watching him. Opening an eye, he was immediately met with the gaze of both his companion and the zora.

The zora, Mipha, rolled out of the cot with Mira's help. She hobbled over to Link, who sat up to meet the pair. "Sir… Link." She said slowly, making sure she got his name right.

"Miss Mipha." He returned, nodding.

"I would like to ask the two of you a favour." She played with her fingers and looked at the floorboards. "Rather, Miss Mira has already agreed, but as she is your travelling partner I felt it prudent to ask for your permission as well."

"Permission for what exactly..?"

Mira nodded, "Mipha wants us to escort her to Central."

He paused for a moment before returning the gesture, "I don't see why not since we're all going the same way." Mipha's eyes lit up as she smiled. "But we only have two horses."

"She can ride with me," the taguel replied, "My horse can handle the both of us."

Without hesitating, Link nodded. "Okay, then it's settled." He held out a hand, "Welcome to the team."

Mipha bowed before enthusiastically shaking his hand, "I'll be in your care, Sir Link!"

He shook his head, "Just Link's fine. Actually, I would kinda prefer it."

"Ah, then I'll be in your care, Link!"

An earnest girl she was. Perhaps she wanted to fulfill the duty of her compatriots by completing the envoy's mission on her own. Of course he was more than happy to accommodate her, seeing as they had the same destination and all. Although, there was a strange feeling about her that he couldn't quite shake off. Maybe it was just the excitement of having another member added to their party, one that was literally pulled out of the lake no less. He was fully expecting to head to Central on his own, so having some people to travel with was a pleasant surprise.

"I don't suppose you could tell us why you need to go to Central?" Mira asked.

Mipha seemed thoughtful as she looked at the floorboards, bringing up a webbed finger to her chin, "I… Don't think I can say exactly the reason. But we needed to meet with the royal family, that I know."

Both Mira and Link widened their eyes. "You mean, like, with the king?"

She nodded, "That's right. A dreadful circumstance has befallen the Domain, and we must let them know. However, should knowledge of exactly what be known to the public," She paused, looking pensive, "then it would not only put the Domain at risk, but also our people."

They looked at each other before shrugging. "It's not our place to pry, but it sounds important," said Mira.

"Uh, sorry," Link interjected, putting up hand, "What's the Domain?"

Mipha gave him a blank look, "You don't know?"

"I'm from Ordona, please forgive my ignorance." He replied, bowing his head.

She looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "It is the home of the Zora; a beautiful city at the base of Mount Lanayru where the water flows freely as we live as one with spirits of nature."

"So it's like an underwater city?"

The zora giggled, "Some of it, yes, but for the most part it is similar to a place like Port Hylia, only with our own architecture. It wouldn't be very welcoming for the other races of Hyrule if it were entirely underwater now, would it?"

"Officially, it's called the Zora's Domain, but it isn't just Zoras that live there," Mira explained, "I've heard it's a pretty desirable place to live in general, so you've got people from all over Hyrule that settle down there."

"Then your mission is more important than I thought." Link said. He stood up and crossed his arms, "We'll get you to Central."

"Thank y-!"

Just as Mipha could finish, the ship swayed back and forth, a deep boom resounding in the distance.

The bell on the top deck began ringing furiously, "Contact! Pirates in the open!"

Mira and Link looked at each other before nodding, "Let's go." They grabbed their equipment off the floor and began making their way up to the open air. Sailors began flooding the lower deck, getting to work on loading the twelve pounders. Weaving their way through between the men clamouring down the stairs, they emerged onto the top deck, greeted by the Captain shouting orders to the sailors.

"You two!" He waved over to the pair, "Get over here!"

They obliged, quickly making their way to the poop deck behind the captain's wheel. Reiner gave Link his telescope and pointed out to the water. There were two ships and for most standards were fairly close, maybe nine or ten kilometers out. What was peculiar was that they were sailing the blue flags of Lanayru. Mira took a quick look herself before clicking her tongue, "Sneaky bastards."

"False flags?" Link suggested.

"Aye…" Reiner said gravely, "They fired off a warning shot to try an' get us to stop."

"And…?"

"And…" He closed his eyes and crossed his arms, "We ain't stopping."

Reiner placed a hand on Link's shoulder before bellowing to the ship, "Get your goddamn swords ready! These scumbags aren't letting us off without a fight!" The crew gave a raucous cheer in response, everybody scrambling to their battle stations.

"What should we do, captain?" Mira asked, swinging her katana onto her back.

"Just stay alive. If they get close, then we're gonna need you guys to hold them off if we get boarded."

"Got it." The two made their way back down to the main deck, leaning over the railings as they watched the two pirate ships rapidly approach the Swiftwind. For now, all they could do was wait. Neither of them had any experience in naval combat, so until the fight was brought to them, they were forced to be observers.

From the looks of things, they were severely outmatched. The Swiftwind had in total eight guns - four on each side. The two ships approaching them were about the same size, except they had an entire deck dedicated to cannon, with a total of sixteen - double their own. It was not looking good, and Link was surprised that Reiner didn't up and wave the white flag then and there.

For now, there was nothing the two of them could do. All they could do was pray that they wouldn't get sunk or, at worst, killed. The pirates, who'd replaced their Lanayru flags with ominous black flags, were now bearing down on them at full speed. The winds were not in their favour, and regardless of what evasive maneuvers they could try, they were either going to be pinned up against the coast or chased down like deer.

They sailed against the wind trying to create space, to no avail. Mira and Link, who were holding onto the rails of the ship, were soon staring down the guns of one of the pirate ships.

"Get down!" Link shouted, clutching onto Mira's shoulder as they hit the deck.

"FIRE!" Reiner roared at the top of his lungs.

_**BA-BA-BA-BA-BA-BOOM! **_

Both ships loosed their cannons, the deafening blasts of the guns unloading rippling through the air. Mira, whose primal hearing multiplied the sounds tenfold, clutched her ears in agony as she did her best to bite back the pain. Cannon balls whizzed across the water, some flying dangerously close past the tops of their head, most tearing through the ship's hull. They were violently showered in all manner of splinters, debris, and sprays of lake water. The pair held on for dear life, hoping to Hylia that they wouldn't get torn apart by a stray cannonball.

Then, after the festival of explosions was over and the crews began to reload, there was a brief moment of serenity. Clouds of dark soot began to rise from the gun deck, along with the metallic smell of burning black powder. Through the ringing in his ears, Link could hear the shuffling of the sailors in the deck below them. He peeked over the railing and was taken aback by how close the pirates had come. Boarding was inevitable at this rate; all it would take was one more cannon exchange and the Swiftwind would be at the mercy of an army of pirates clamouring over their gang planks.

"Link! Mira!" Reiner called out, addressing the pair who were shakily getting back onto their feet. Miraculously he was still manning the ship's helm, completely unscathed and steering the ship. "Get ready to give 'em hell when they get over here!" He gave them a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.

It wasn't looking good for them and the crew, but if Mira and Link were good for something at this point, it was swinging their swords around. They looked at each other before grinning, the energy coming back to their bodies.

"Here comes another volley, gentlemen! LET 'EM HAVE IT!" The captain roared at the top of his lungs. The crew gave a passionate cry and the ships once again exchanged cannon fire.

The ship rocked as it loosed its cannon, the crew on the top deck once again holding onto the ship for dear life as cannonballs burst through the Swiftwind's hull. The pirates had adjusted their aim as there were several projectiles that blasted through the top deck. There was a spray of wood as one of the ship's masts was taken out, crashing onto the front of the deck as ropes snapped apart and sails fluttered into the water. Link, still clinging onto the rails, turned around just in time to witness a poor sailor getting nailed right in the chest, his torso getting eviscerated as his upper body exploded into a bloody red mist, his arms, flesh, and bone being flung across the deck.

He barely had time to register the gruesome sight as he had to jump back from the railing, harpoons suddenly embedding themselves into the ship. They could feel both of the ships getting closer together, and the pirates across the water began getting their gangplanks ready to close the distance.

"They're boarding! Get ready, Link!" Mira called, unsheathing her katana.

Link pulled out his bow, quickly taking aim at the pirates. One swift shot and his arrow whistled through the air, on target as it got one of the pirates holding onto one of the gangplanks, right in the forehead. His body fell limp, causing the crowd of pirates to flail as the giant board of wood crashed back onto the deck. This was but a minor inconvenience, as there were several other gangplanks getting ready. He continued to try and pick them off, but it was almost a fruitless effort as there were just so many of them.

With a ferocious battle cry, the pirates finally dropped their planks, creating a bridge between the two ships. Pouring onto the boards, they rushed at the Swiftwind with reckless abandon, paying no heed to their comrades that were struck by projectiles or thrown into the water below them.

The Swiftwind's crew was ready with all manner of weaponry that they scrounge up. Link, who had decided to stop wasting his arrows, had drawn his sword and was more than ready to face what was coming. In unison, their crew also gave a battle cry as the pirates stepped onto the Swiftwind's deck.

The pirates were a rowdy mix of thugs and thieves of all races; there were Hylians, Gerudo, Zora, even a few humans as well. Link knew it didn't matter what race they were - they were bandits only concerned with looting and killing.

With his mind set, he had no qualms sinking his sword into the chest of the pirate that had lunged at him, swiftly pulling it out as he kicked the body off. He parried a saber from another foe, twirling around effortlessly as he lopped off both of the man's arms, leaving the pirate momentarily gobsmacked as he was staring down at the trunks of meat that used to be his arms. Link could already feel the massive improvement in his swordsmanship as he cut his way through the pirate gang. His training seemed to be paying off; the sloppy movements of these ruffians made it seem like they moved in slow motion, far cry from the swift and deliberate swordplay of his partner.

Mira was having even less trouble than he, a sinister grin etched across her face as she manically tore through the pirates. Her canines made her look even more feral, and the pirates were almost too scared to even swing at her when she approached them. "That all you got?!" she taunted, mercilessly cleaving off one of the pirates' heads, "Thought you guys had more balls than this!" Her feline agility had her literally dancing around the pirates, and thanks to the efforts of both her and Link, the crowd of enemies seemed to rapidly thin out, bodies beginning to pile themselves on the deck.

"I don't wanna jinx it or anything," Link called out over his shoulder as he locked swords with his opponent, "But I think we can do this!"

On cue, another wave of pirates began scrambling over the gangplanks, this one looking hungrier than the last. Mira rolled her eyes as she kicked a bandit over the railing, "You just had to open your fuckin' mouth, didn't ya?!"

The fierce fighting continued, the much smaller crew of the Swiftwind holding their own surprisingly well, thanks in no small part to their hired hands Link and Mira. Even Reiner, who was quite a number of years older than everyone else on the ship, was trying to do his best to contribute to the melee, helping the sailors fend off the pirates. But after what seemed like an eternity of brawling and the deck was littered with all orders of blood and bodies, the pirates still had more people to send over. In particular, a large and intimidating individual brandishing two sabers.

Wiping the sweat off his brow, Link turned to face the menace that was making his way across the gang plank, "That's gotta be their captain right?"

"If it is, it's one of them anyway." Mira replied, taking a momentary breather herself.

The newcomer sauntered onto the deck; he was considerably taller than everyone else on the ship. He had a long black captain's coat, tattered and ripped. He sported a dark beard, his rough face exemplified by a cigarette that hung from his lips. His tricorne was in equal shape as his coat, and altogether, he was probably the most intimidating man that Link had seen at this point.

One of the sailors tried to get the jump on the pirate captain, swinging his sword wildly. The pirate captain knocked the sword out of the sailor's hands easily, picking the man up by the face as he tilted his head to get a better look at him, "Nice try." There was the cracking of bone as the captain squeezed the man's head like a grapefruit, discarding the body like trash as he threw him into the lake.

The pirate captain cleared his throat as he addressed the circle of sailors growing around him, "Who's the captain 'round here?" His voice was deep, surprisingly smooth, belying his intimidating appearance.

Reiner stepped forth from the poop deck, "That would be me."

"Let's stop this unnecessary bloodshed, shall we?" The pirate said, using one of his sabers to gesture at the bodies on the deck. "My people are getting killed, your people are getting killed. Just give us what we're looking for."

"And what would that be?"

"The girl, of course." The pirate's mouth curled into a wry smile.

_So they __**are**_ _looking for Mipha! _Link grimaced, tightening the grip on his sword.

"Well, if that's what you're lookin' for," Reiner shrugged, "Then I'm afraid I have no idea what yer talkin' bout."

The pirate captain gave a deep, bellowing chuckle, "So that's how it is. What's your name?"

"Reiner. And yours?"

"The name's Donovan." The pirate captain, Donovan, began tapping his saber on the deck, "I gotta say, Reiner, you and your crew's got guts." He motioned to Link and Mira, "These two have really given my guys a hard time. But," He turned around, pointing to the ship that was currently connected to the Swiftwind, as well as the other pirate ship loitering a ways away, "You guys really think you can fend off both our ships? Full of the hungriest motherfuckers sailing the Hylia?" He chuckled again, "It ain't likely."

"Unfortunately, our girl's got somewhere to go," Link spoke up this time, holding his ground under the man's intense gaze, "So you guys can't have her."

"Bwahahaha!" Donovan gave a raucous laugh, immediately joined in by the rest of his crew. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he shook his head, "Ooohhh boy! You kids have got no idea, do ya?"

"About what?!" snarled Mira.

"Well, if she didn't tell you, then you definitely wouldn't understand anyway." He waved her off, still smiling.

Link could see the rage in his partner's crimson eyes from being dismissed. _Uh oh. _"Mira don't - !" He held out a hand but it was way too late.

Mira exploded from her spot, closing the distance between her and the pirate captain in what seemed like a blink of an eye. Sparks flew as Donovan handily blocked her upward swing with both of his sabers, throwing her off balance as he overpowered her in the clash. She immediately repositioned, going for his flank, but there was already one of his swords waiting to block her strike, "Nu-uh." Link's eyes widened as Donovan delivered her a blinding strike to the stomach with the pommel of his other sword, flecks of spit coming out of Mira's mouth as she took the entirety of the hit. He gave her a brutal kick to the chin, the shockwave of the impact almost visible as she was sent flying into the crowd of the Swiftwind's crew.

"I'll ask you guys one more time," The pirate captain announced, "Give us the girl and we can all be on our merry way."

A bead of sweat rolled down Link's forehead as he was once again faced with another overwhelming foe. He'd taken care of Mira in a near-instant; just how were Link and the rest of the crew supposed to deal with this ferocious man?

Steeling himself, he stepped forward, sword at the ready, "I'm afraid we can't do that."

"You kids really have a death wish, don't ya?" Donovan shook his head, laughing again, "Suit yourself."

Link felt alarm bells go off in his head as the pirate captain rushed at him, just barely bringing up his sword up to block a swift slice from one of Donovan's sabers. The force was absolutely massive, akin to the claymore of the bandit he'd fought in Faron, and it was enough to throw him off balance. His instincts willed him to backpedal, and he saved himself from getting sliced open, his chainmail taking a brunt of the slash.

As he looked down at the tear in his tunic, he felt that familiar sensation as he realized that this man was truly trying to kill him and that his life was on the line.

The challenge excited him to no end.

* * *

_Author's Notes/Rambles:  
_

I'm by no means an expert on ships or naval combat so please excuse me if any of the terminology was wrong, and feel free to correct me if you know. Regardless, pirates are cool and pirate ships are cool so I wanted to continue with the swashbuckling theme that I'd introduced with Eliza. It never occurred to me until I started writing the scenes out, but mob fights are harder to write than I thought, not to mention fights that happen on top of ships. I will say, at this point in the story, Zelda and Impa are definitely the strongest characters in the main cast so far, mirroring their Hyrule Warriors counterparts.

Also, Mipha makes her appearance! I'm sure you could probably guess what she's all about, but I've got something a little different planned from her role in the games. She's one of my favourite Zelda characters so expect her to get represented well in the upcoming chapters.

As always, please feel free to leave any comments or criticism!

Thanks for reading! :)

\- _K_


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